By: Amit kumaR Agarwal
with inputs by Aanya
YRF - one of the biggest film-producers in the world has two high-profile films coming within a span of a month - Saiyaara and War 2 - the social-media, memes are abuzz with the pictures of the lead actresses in micro-bikinis - while on one end of the spectrum is a debutant on the silver-screen, Aneet Padda; the other end of the spectrum sees a top actress, Kiara Advani donning a bikini.
An aspiring actress vent out her feelings on not getting roles with her post on IG, "All you need to do is wear a bikini to get roles".
It made the writers ponder, is wearing a bikini still a taboo in India?
The co-writer of the story, Aanya went checking with girls from colleges and theatre-circuit in Delhi-NCR.
Shubina, a student from DU and a first-time model said that she won't wear a bikini "even if one-million is offered to me. I come from a small place called Shahjahanpur in UP. I don't think my family will be comfortable with it".
On being prodded further, that what if she is offered a big role in a big movie, she said, "probably I will think, but it really depends on the film".
Aastha, a theatre enthusiast, working with various groups in Delhi said, "I have the figure, so I am all game to wear it for a film. Whether it is a studio film or an indie-film doesn't really matter".
Zainab, student of a film institute in Noida said, "see Kiara started her career doing goody-goody roles, it is only now, when she is established, she is going all glam. I have it clearly cut out; once I am established I will do glam roles".
Mihika, student in DU says, "I don't know what this hullabaloo is all about, may be it is the PR team out there, pepping-up the films. I mean look at all the top actresses, Deepika, Shraddha, Priyanka, they have all worn it. I feel we have to move with the times".
Zoya from Bangalore, interning with an MNC summed the issue very well, "more than 90% of the influencers are influencers because each alternate post of theirs is in a bikini. It's all too much noise. Let's accept it, bikini is a normal attire girls wear on a beach and there is nothing wrong about it".
A prominent distributor of films in Delhi-UP, Rakesh Jain gave the final lowdown, "while classes are not pulled in theatres by such tactics; masses do have an inclination to get pulled into theatres by such tactics - but at the end of the day, it is the content of the film that makes it a blockbuster. Though I agree, it does give any film those all important initial footfalls, particularly, if the film has newcomers in the lead".
A film historian, Siraj, said "YRF is not new to making their lead actresses don bikini - one of the first instances of a lead actress wearing a bikini in India was Sonam, way back in 1987, it became a sensation with all the top magazines of the time, carrying the pictures. The movie, Vijay, became a hot property".
Well, while War 2 is already being pipped as the next blockbuster, it will be interesting to see if Saiyaara becomes a success in these tough times that cinema is facing.