See, topless scenes and nudity are still considered taboo in Indian cinema, but what if we say that topless scenes by actresses have been in Bollywood since the 70s and 80s? Well, yes, there have been many scenes in popular Bollywood movies where actresses didn’t care at all to go topless, showing dedication to the role that they were portraying. And today, we are here to talk about 10 Bollywood actresses who went topless onscreen. So let’s get started.
1. Zeenat Aman in Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)
Zeenat Aman is a name associated with boldness in Bollywood. Of course, her performance in Satyam Shivam Sundaram is said to be one of the most iconic in the entire history of Indian cinema. Those were the scenes of Zeenat going topless, which were pretty revolutionary in the day, and a lot did their part in making her image as an actor who was bold, progressive, and not too shy of experimenting with her on-screen persona. She was bold enough to take the risk and that obviously paved the way for the next generations to follow.
2. Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985)
The scene of Mandakini in the movie Ram Teri Ganga Maili will always be etched in the minds: the brazen waterfall scene appearing topless, which created a storm and led to serious debates on the watershed of culture. It was a very dedicated performance by Mandakini and an open challenge she did to challenge the norms at that time and showed how bold she really was.
3. Rekha for Mirror Magazine (1978)
And yes, Rekha has also gone topless on the screen, or for a photo shoot to be precise. The topless photoshoot of Rekha for the Mirror magazine had to be bold and influential: a lady known for her enigmatic presence, acting skills, and boldness, of course. From there on, it was pretty much clear that Rekha’s confidence was on another level, and we have all witnessed that in her acting performances, right? So no doubt, she is one of the boldest and most beautiful actresses in Bollywood history of all times.
4. Kangana Ranaut for a Magazine Photoshoot (2007)
Kangana Ranaut has always been quite bold in her career since her first job experience, which was posing topless for a magazine. She had this photoshoot that shows how daring she is to try some limits. Kangana has always been really gutsy in her professional choices and has always been a standout figure in the industry.
5. Mamta Kulkarni for Stardust Magazine (1993)
Mamta Kulkarni had created quite a flutter with a topless photoshoot for Stardust magazine. This was a very bold move and evidence enough for her to be a milestone in her career. The topless Mamta created a talk-of-the-town factor and was all over the headlines back in the days.
6. Deepa Sahi in Maya Memsaab (1993)
In the movie “Maya Memsaab,” Deepa Sahi acted boldly and creatively. She was in some scenes without a top, something that was very rare in Bollywood in those days because it was very conservative. Deepa has been strong about her acting career and brave enough to pick up this role in the film world by trying new things.
7. Anu Agarwal in The Cloud Door (1994)
Anu Agarwal, the protagonist of the cult movie “Aashiqui,” took an audacious step in the short film “The Cloud Door,” known as the Indo-German version of the movie. The topless Anu was seen fitting into the challenging and fresh type of roles. In one particular scene of the movie, Anu was completely topless, and that kinda shocked the audience, but that shows that Anu was fearless and was able to accept any challenge or break the usual norm of the industry.
8. Udita Goswami in Zeher (2005)
The big reason that “Zeher” got such a lot of attention is because of Udita Goswami’s topless scene in the movie. She was a newcomer to Bollywood at that time, but she was considered very gutsy to do such acts. This had made her a daring actress in her acts to lengthen her chances of getting better roles.
9. Nandana Sen in Rang Rasiya (2014)
In “Rang Rasiya,” Nandana Sen goes topless with a lot of boldness and elegance. She played the role of Sugandha with so much grace and dignity that the scene itself was very dignified. This bold move of hers showed how serious Nandana was regarding the portrayal of her character.
10. Sonali Raut in The Xpose (2014)
Sonali Raut was so bold in her performance in the movie “The Xpose” that she even pulled off a topless scene. It was very bold, similar to the boldness that actresses from the past, such as Zeenat Aman, carried with them. So, Sonali has always been in the habit of proving that she has what it takes to stay and shine in the industry by doing challenging roles, and this performance was just to leave a strong impact.
Conclusion
That’s pretty much it for today. Sure, topless scenes are still not widely accepted in Bollywood, but the norms have changed over the years. Now, such scenes are becoming more and more common.
