Swara defiant over movie scene

‘Veere Di Wedding’ actress has received a flood of negative comments over one part in the film

Bollywood actress Swara Bhasker has hit back at a torrent of online abuse over a scene in a film dubbed India’s answer to Sex and the City that is proving a hit worldwide.

Veere Di Wedding, meaning “Friend’s Wedding” in English, has caused a stir on social media for its portrayal of female sexuality — a taboo subject in patriarchal, socially conservative India.

The Hindi-language movie has raked in $7.8 million (Dh28.6 million) in India since its June 1 release, according to Box Office India, and is in the top 10 in Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

The film, also starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Shikha Talsania and which was produced by a woman, centres on four female friends and their attitudes towards sex, love and marriage.

Many critics have praised the film as a powerful statement about female empowerment but others have accused it of having a shallow plotline.

Bhasker has received a flood of negative comments online — including vicious personal attacks — but has defended the film and her role in it, calling it empowering.

“It’s okay to do something privately and not tell your parents about it. It’s called discretion,” she wrote on Twitter.

Bhasker has also received an outpouring of support from fans.

“I sometimes feel like giving @ ReallySwara a hug and a truck full of chocolate. She deserves to get a day off from uninformed people trying to pull her down for every word she says and every role she plays,” wrote Twitter user Hannah Pillai.

Critics have likened the film to an Indian version of Sex and the City, the hit US television series that also portrays four friends as they navigate love and sex in New York. — AFP