The Viral Comparison
When questioned about the persistent obsession with the midriff in Bhojpuri and South Indian song sequences, Taapsee didn’t hold back.
The Gaze: "I am also trying to understand. It's not that item songs in Hindi cinema don't focus on it [the navel], but it's not as much as in South cinema," she observed.
The Distinction: She summed up the regional "visual grammar" with a blunt takeaway: "Hindi cinema is more about cleavage; South cinema is about the navel."
The "Padded Bra" Revelation
Moving beyond aesthetics, Taapsee revealed a specific, "humiliating" practice she encountered during her early days in the South:
The Demand: She alleged that directors in the Tamil and Telugu industries occasionally request that heroines wear padded bras specifically to enhance their physical silhouette for song sequences.
The Communication Chain: Taapsee highlighted how these instructions never come directly. The director tells the Assistant Director (AD), the AD tells the styling team, they tell the wardrobe assistant, who finally tells the actress.
The Embarrassment: "Imagine how embarrassing it would be," she told Mishra. "You're shooting a song, someone gets up in the middle, walks off, and everyone knows exactly what's happening. All the men are sitting there, watching what looks different when you come back."
A Pattern of Bluntness
This isn't the first time Taapsee has called out these practices. She famously revisited her 2010 debut, Jhummandi Naadam, recalling how a coconut was thrown at her midriff to add "sensuality" to a shot.
"I don't know what's sensuous about a coconut hitting my midriff," she joked, a comment that previously required a public apology to veteran director K. Raghavendra Rao after a backlash from Telugu audiences.
Industry & Social Media Reaction
The interview has polarized the internet:
Supporters: Many fans and peers have lauded her for speaking out against the "male gaze" and the systemic pressure on actresses to satisfy "audience fantasies" over performance.
Critics: Some netizens have accused her of "biting the hand that fed her," noting that the South Indian industry provided the foundation for her successful career. Others have pointed out that Bollywood has its own long history of objectification.
The "Assi" Connection
Ironically, these comments come while Taapsee promotes Assi, a film that deals with the gravity of crimes against women. Analysts suggest her outspokenness aligns with her current "on-screen avatar"—a woman unafraid to challenge patriarchal norms and speak truth to power.
