Bikinis are no big deal

Purists and political activists in the state may be up in arms against Ramgopal Verma for shooting a bikini-clad Priyanka Kothari in a sizzling number in Adavi. But look at the rushes of any recent Tollywood film and you’ll see RGV isn’t the only one to cash in on this bikini craze.
Almost every other T’wood release in the recent past has had at least a song or two featuring the lead actress in a sexy swimsuit sequence. Anushka Shetty kickstarted the trend by stepping out of the pool in a black swimsuit in Billa and soon Priyamani followed suit with a similar sequence in Drona.
Shriya Saran’s Bebo-inspired blue swimsuit shot in Pistha was more talked about than the movie itself while Namitha, T’wood’s original bikini girl continues to set the screen on fire with her stylish sarong sequences.
“Much ado is being made about nothing,” says Meher Ramesh, the director of Billa who shot both Anuskha and Namitha in swimsuits. his ‘bikini sequence’ was planned in accordance with the storyline, he adds. “Billa was based on 1978’s Don. In the movie, the heroine is shown coming out of the pool. Now, I can’t have my actress walking out of a pool in a salwar kameez. Bikini is the dress code for the pool, and it certainly adds to the glamour quotient of the film if shot tastefully.” Shirya Saran too echoes his sentiments. Tasteful is the thumb rule, she says. “Bikinis have become common now. You go to Goa and you can see a beach full of people in bikins. Most bikini scenes are in tandem with the script of the movie. And good directors know how to shoot these scenes tastefully. if people still don’t like it, let them close their eyes,” quips Shirya.
Despite the controversy hounding her bikini-clad number, Priyanka too makes no bones about sashaying in a two-piece suit. She says, “God has given me a beautiful body and I can carry off a bikini. There is more to a bikini shot than just skin show. It involves expressions, body language and chemistry.”
Actor Sanjana who says she doesn’t mind sporting a bikini if the role demands, adds, “If Rani Mukherjee who is in her 30s can don a bikini for Yash Raj Films, why can’t younger girls like us do the same?”
Actor Nitin, who also romanced a bikini-clad Priyamani in Drona apart from shaking a leg with Kothari, couldn’t agree more. He says, “Bikinis are no big a deal in Bollywood and we are catching up too. If the girls who are wearing bikinis don’t have a problem, why should anyone else bother? It’s all in the game.”