When it comes to controversies, our Bollywood singers seem to be not too keen to stir up one, often shying away to speak up for anything that might cause any kind of conflict in their fanbase. Bollywood itself is an industry where people like to maintain their neutral stance over political correctness and when it comes to singers, most of them try to keep their opinions to themselves, perhaps due to the already limited fanbase they have. But Anushka Manchanda is not made of the same soil. She is one of those few singers in the industry who care enough to lend their voices to relevant issues and stand up for what they believe in, either through interviews or their art.
Anushka’s habit of speaking up for the causes she believes in has often landed her amidst controversies. One of the recent ones being, her appearance in the music video of Lay You Down, a song by Nanok, alongside another songstress, Monica Dogra. Directed by Navzar Eranee, the video features the two singers portraying the characters of two homosexual lovers. The brilliantly shot video handles the subject of same-sex love with utmost maturity and beauty. Though on the surface, the video appears to be a documentation of the passionate lovemaking between two lovers, who both happen to be women, in its depth, every frame actually captures the different aspect of this relationship, which is not very alien compared to the ‘normal’ heterosexual relationships. There is conflict, making up and sinking into each other’s being but at the same time, there is the struggle for them to be together as lovers of the same gender. Released in December 2016, the video, expectedly, caught a lot of eyes, some for the right reasons and some for the wrong ones. And consequently, Anushka found herself in the middle of a hotchpotch of appreciation and slander.
Anushka, however, is a not a woman to regret her bold choices or curb her being in fear of criticism, and she proved it once again when she sparked controversy with her Instagram posts earlier this year, questioning the dubious policy of the platform to censor women’s nipples while remaining unbothered with that of men’s. In a country where even A-list stars like Deepika Padukone or Esha Gupta are not spared of slut-shaming, Anushka showed guts in tackling the issue head-on by posting a series of pictures to illustrate the hypocrisy in the general attitude towards women’s body compared to that of men’s.
Clearly, Anushka is not one of those celebrities who would rather stay mum than use their platform to spark up conversations about issues that they are passionate about. She belongs to that rare category of Indian celebrities who do give a damn about their society and have the courage to speak up, even if it means that they are going to be rendered “controversial”. Bottom line is, no matter what, players gonna play, and Anushka’s gonna slay. More power to her!
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