Swara Bhasker in Veere Di Wedding (Image courtesy: YouTube)
Highlights
- There is an inherent shock value to the scene: Swara
- "The film is much more than the masturbation scene," added Swara
- I only wanted the scene to look comic and not vulgar: Swara
Actress
Swara Bhasker, who faced severe backlash for her masturbation scene in
Veere Di Wedding, said she had 'expected to be trolled' reports news agency PTI. Since the movie released, Swara was
flooded with negative comments online but she defended the film and her role like a boss. "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," Swara told PTI.
Swara Bhasker added that she had shot the scene on one condition that it shouldn't look vulgar on screen. "I trusted the writers and their intention. I only wanted the scene to look comic and not vulgar. I told Shashanka Ghosh (director) 'let's go over the top as it will shock people into laughter'."
For Swara who has played rustic characters in films like
Ranjhanaa and
Anaarkali Of Aarah, playing Sakshi in
Veere Di Wedding, was a bit different. "I have a certain comfort zone in that rustic, rural and rooted-to-the-ground-reality-of our-country kind of characters. I know how to prepare for these characters and I have a method for that. But for the role of Sakshi, I did not know how to prepare. Culturally, we were similar, like both of us are private school educated, English speaking and Delhi girls. But I still did not know how to approach the role. The clothes were scaring me on another level," she told PTI.
Veere Di Wedding, also starring Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Shikha Talsania, tracked the journey of four female friends who stand by each other in every situation but at the same time, they are facing some issues in their personal lives, which every woman might relate to. Swara's gald that after
Veere Di Wedding, there's conversation about 'female desire.' "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. We show it in a metaphorical way, through songs and philosophy. But we shy away from owning and accepting it. Somewhere this film has spoken about it openly," she told PTI.
Of Swara's controversial scene, filmmaker
Karan Johar that it has 'opened up a forum of conversation.' "There are all kinds, of course, like trolls, bad, ridiculous views, and some completely regressive perspectives but the fact is that suddenly we are talking about masturbation and let's say that that's a great thing. So for people out there who feel the concept only is blasphemous now are suddenly talking about it through a mainstream film. More power to those girls who accepted these roles and more power to the filmmaker who made this film. We are talking about this in an open forum suddenly," he told NDTV.
(With PTI inputs)