The female buddy film Veere Di Wedding has made headlines for the masturbation scene featuring Swara Bhasker. While in India many people have slammed the actress over it, in UAE the censor board has cut the scene from the movie.
The masturbation scene has become a debatable topic with some appreciating it and other saying that looked forced. However, a certain section of the audience was not able to watch it because the scene didn't feature at all.
"Veere Di Wedding film has been received very well in Dubai, lekin woh Swara wala masturbation scene nahin hai (that Swara's masturbation scene is not there)," Spotboye quoted a source as saying.
While for some this might come as a shock, Swara, on the other hand, was concerned how her character will be retained in the Gulf edition of the film or in the Middle East. During an interview with Rajeev Masand, Swara said, "Moviegoers in the Middle East have loved it the most but I am not sure what they have seen."
Meanwhile, in India, Sonam Kapoor and Swara's mother Ira Bhasker has come out supporting the actress.
"I think there is a shift. From very metaphoric and symbolic articulation, there is a movement towards much more direct articulation. For example, if you look at Veer Zaara, the "Tere Liye" song sequence, it is very clear it is yearning. But in films like Fire, like Lipstick Under My Burkha and now Veere Di Wedding or something like Anarkali of Aarah," Ira Bhasker, who is film historian and professor of Cinema Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told VICE.
"Here is a woman who enjoys her performance. She is sexually active. She makes no qualms about what she wants. She wants to not be in a position of being humiliated for being who she is. Her choice and agency are very important. Here is a woman who is confident of her own sexuality," she added.
Sonam supporting Swara told ANI, "I think people just like to troll her because she has an opinion & a point of view & I guess that shows how much they love her because the other side of hate is always love, so Swara you have a lot of lovers."
