Bollywood and brave unconventional choices have always gone hand in hand. The industry is known to set trends that have never been seen before. While some trends are entirely original, some are also inspired by the ‘la la land’ of Hollywood. As far as B-Town, in particular, is concerned, there’s a lot to be acknowledged. From purposely showing frontal shots whenever it came to kissing scenes in order to avoid charges of ‘obscenity’ to eventually getting the ‘liberty’ to engage in bedroom moments on camera with a slight tinge of censorship, we have certainly come a long way forward. Yes, of course, the actions of popular celebrities can be censored and monitored by an external body whenever it comes to the on-screen portrayal. However, when an individual decides to go all guns blazing to express their ‘boldness’ and ‘confidence’ beyond the 70mm big screen, there’s literally no one who can control them apart from the concerned individual. As far as B-Town is concerned, we have seen many stars go ‘over the top’ when it comes to ‘apparent obscenity’ in public places. While some ‘dared to bare’ for popular magazine covers and brands, others did it for movie promotions.
The recent chaos regarding Ranveer Singh’s popular nude photo shoot for an International magazine certainly triggered a lot of people the wrong way. In fact, the damage was such that the actor got charged for obscenity in public as well. However, it’s important to understand that this isn’t the first time a B-Town celebrity has been charged for the same. Yes, the others in the past perhaps didn’t go the ‘Ranveer Singh’ way entirely. However, the results were quite similar. So today, we show you all a list of individuals who found themselves in legal trouble for alleged obscene acts in public before Ranveer Singh.
Akshay Kumar: Surprised with this name? Bollywood’s very own Khiladi Kumar who’s off-late known to be primarily part of Nationalistic Hindi movies once found himself in controversy for alleged obscenity in public. Back in 2009, Akshay Kumar had walked the ramp for Levis’ ‘Live Unbuttoned’ and to promote the same, Twinkle had unbuttoned Akshay’s jeans in front of everyone. As per reports in Quint, a social worker had filed a case of obscenity against the actor and show organizer in Vakola Police Station in the year 2009.
Aamir Khan: Bollywood’s very own ‘Perfectionist’ is known to get every frame of his movie bang on. Over the past few years, he has been doing brilliant work and all his films managed to resonate with the audience. Seeing Aamir’s name on the list, you all might be wondering what’s he doing here. Well, there’s a big enough reason for that. During the release of his movie PK, Aamir’s nude poster where he was covering his private parts with just a radio transistor had gone viral. As per media reports, a case had been registered against him and the makers of the film aka Raju Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The complainant had termed the poster as ‘obscene, indecent & unreasonable’.
Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre: Way back in the year 1995, Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre did what is perhaps even unimaginable sitting here in 2022. The duo had shot for a complete nude photoshoot for a footwear brand called ‘Tuff Shoes’. The duo were given clean chit by the court in the matter. And well, if this wasn’t enough, Milind again found himself in similar legal trouble in 2020 for running naked at a beach in Goa. The actor-model was charged with obscenity and was booked under the IPC section 294 and section 67 of the IT Act. The current status of the case is unknown
Poonam Pandey-Sam Bombay: Well, these two names perhaps aren’t that surprising in this list as Poonam has always been the controversy’s favourite child for multiple reasons. However, the incident in 2020 perhaps jolted her a little. Poonam and her husband, Sam Bombay were arrested by the police in Goa following a photo shoot. The video of the same had gone viral. As per media reports, the women’s wing of Goa Forward Party had filed a complaint against her that alleged that she had shot a “porn video” at the city’s Chapoli Dam. The duo were later granted bail by the court over a bail bond of Rs 20,000 each.
Mallika Sherawat: Although Mallika Sherawat has never shied away from going bold on-screen to prove her confidence and charm as a performing artiste, having her on this list is certainly quite a big surprise for many. As per media reports in IDiva, a bailable warrant was issued against the ‘Murder’ actress when a performance she did at a New Year’s eve event was alleged to be obscene. The current status of the case is unknown.
Bipasha Basu: As far as our very own ‘Bengali bombshell’ Bipasha Basu is concerned, most movie viewers see her on-screen act in ‘Jism’ as her boldest ever act. Well, what if we give you a gentle reminder that it is not the case? As per media reports in NDTV, a Bhopal-based advocate had filed a complaint against the actress when she decided to shoot topless for the cover of Maxim magazine way back in 2011. The current status of the case is unknown to the masses.
Shilpa Shetty-Richard Gere: Last but certainly not least, we have Shilpa Shetty on the list. The actress found herself in a spot of bother and legal trouble when Hollywood actor Richard Gere kissed her in public on stage during an event at Alwar in Rajasthan. The case had been in trial for many years and recently, the latest update as per media reports is that the actress asked the court to reject her plea against her discharge.
Well, at a time when the world is progressing and looking to achieve big things in life, some of our fellow countrymen seem to be losing their minds because of the acts of others. It’s high time that the ‘aam aadmi’ and ‘sanskari janta’ decide to choose their priorities in life. At the end of the day, no one’s held at gunpoint to watch someone’s so-called controversial snaps anyway right? So, if at all things are being too troublesome for people to handle, they might as well follow Gandhi Ji’s golden rule of ” ‘Bura’ mat dekho…’bura’ mat bolo and ‘bura’ mat suno. Live and let live. Less judgements, please!
