Page 54 - July 2018 Magazine

swara

bHasker :

tHere is a

culture of
silence

around

female

desire

ctor Swara Bhasker says she expected
to be trolled for the masturbation scene
Ain ‘Veere Di Wedding’ but she also knew
that it will help start a conversation about female
desire, which is still considered an untouchable
topic in Indian society and cinema.
The Shashanka Ghosh-directed film, a
commercial potboiler about four friends
starring Swara, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam
K Ahuja and Shikha Talsania, had sparked a
debate among the critics with some hailing it
for being a step forward in women-led stories,
while others deriding the film for its superficial
and contradictory exploration of the women’s
perspective.
“I expected to be trolled for this. There is an
inherent shock value to the scene. There are
people in our society who slut shame. I am quite
open about things, give my opinion on political
issues, so people will not leave any opportunity
to attack me but the film is much more than the
masturbation scene,” told Swara.
The actor is glad that it is the first mainstream
Bollywood film to openly show female desire
and start a conversation about it.
“Everyone will have their own perspective and
it is good that a conversation has started. Apart
from that, in the whole of South Asia there is
this culture of silence when it comes to issues
of female sexuality, female body or female
desire. We are silent about it.”

Get latest news & live updates on the go on
your pc with News App. Download The Times
of India news app for your device. Read more
Entertainment news in English and other
languages.

54 |DALLAS | JULY 2018 | VOL 154 www.thebmagazine.com