Happy Birthday, Kiara: When she risked backlash with masturbation scene
Actress Kiara Advani is currently gearing up for the release of the Kargil War film Shershaah. Quite in demand at the moment, she has also reportedly signed a three-film deal with Tamil filmmaker Shankar. However, on her 29th birthday today, our focus is on her rookie days when she was bold enough to enact masturbation onscreen—in Lust Stories—and brave the online trolling that followed.
How 'Lust Stories' impacted Advani's career
Advani, whose real name is Alia, debuted with Fugly in 2014 but it failed to give her the desired boost. Thereafter, she got praise for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story but not many roles were offered to her It was after Karan Johar cast her in his short film from the 2018 Netflix anthology, Lust Stories, that Bollywood took notice of Advani, the actress.
What was the viral scene all about?
Now coming to the viral masturbation scene, Advani played a young woman Megha in Johar's short film who has never been able to explore her sexual desires, and the man she marries fails to deliver on that account, too. Taking matters into her own hands, Megha acquires a vibrator. However, things go astray and she ends up masturbating in front of the entire family.
Advani deserves a pat for braving trolling up front
Advani's realistic portrayal was hailed by critics but the Kabir Singh actress also had to face relentless trolling. In a society that brands actresses (more than their male counterparts) in a blink of the eye (Swara Bhasker's masturbation scene gets more attention than her awards), Advani's call to do the anthology deserves a pat. That too, when she was just starting in the industry.
This is what she had to say about the role
When asked about the online trolling she had to face, the Good Newwz actress had told a portal she wasn't embarrassed or upset. "I have never been offered anything like that. The way Karan made that scene look so aesthetic. I had full faith in him," she said. Being completely open about the scene with her parents helped her avoid any awkwardness as well.
Advani's grandmother reacted this way to the scene
Talking about the scene, Advani once revealed a funny incident involving her grandmother who was watching it with a straight face. So, she asked her grandma, "You get the context, right?" explaining Megha had an orgasm in front of the entire family. Revealing her grandmother's reaction, Advani added, "She's like, 'Well, in front of the whole world now.' And I was shocked. Oh God!"
