A film’s poster gives a first window to look into the content of the film. Maybe that’s why we not just have one but multiple film posters launch in Bollywood. A lot of creative thinking goes behind the designing of a film poster, it has to talk about the essence of the film. Say, for instance, Tubelight. The Salman Khan film which is this big Eid release this year has released the posters featuring the actor in a much curious role. The posters of Baahubali added more grandeur to the existing excitement around the film. But, the buzz created through posters doesn’t always move in a positive direction.
Hindi cinema has a history of controversies that a film dealt due to its posters. While the posters of Aamir Khan’s PK were ordered to be taken out from the theatres, the very popular poster of Raj Kapoor’s film, Ram Teri Ganga Maili is something that has contributed in making Bollywood immemorial. From Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Julie, Guzaarish to PK, The Dirty Picture and Rang Rasiya among many others, here are the list of 21 most controversial Hindi film posters.
Bobby (1973)
The film had young Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia eloping to live together forever while their families don’t approve of their romantic relationship. However, apart from the teenage romance shown in the film, the film’s poster too created a stir among the audience. It showed a bikini-clad Dimple. We are talking of the 70s here.
Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)
The film anyway had gorgeous Zeenat Aman narrating a different side of love story. The film talked about beauty within and not outside. While the film was appreciated for encouraging love sans artificial beauty standards, Satyam Shivam Sundaram had Zeenat exposing much as she essayed the character of a village girl. The poster had both her and Shashi Kapoor locking lips. Big deal then!
Ram Teri ganga Maili (1985)
The Raj Kapoor film stands as one of the most iconic films of the year. Actress Mandakini was showed taking a bath in a natural waterfall draped in a white saree. The makers also used this still as part of their promotional strategy in posters.
Ek Chhoti Si Love Story (2002)
The film featured Manisha Koirala and Aditya Seal. It triggered controversy because the various posters of the film showed female body in a rather objectifying manner.
Paap (2003)
The music of the film was appreciated widely. Featuring John Abraham and Udita Goswami in the lead, Paap turned out to be a Box Office hit. However, the film’s poster garnered a lot of criticism for being overtly sexual.
Julie (2004)
Julie was a story of a prostitute and had Neha Dhupia playing the titular character. While the film garnered many eyeballs for its content, the poster in which Neha is seen lying on the bed with just a pink bedsheet covering her made a jaw-dropping scene.
Girlfriend (2004)
Girlfriend was made on a rather controversial concept. It featured Isha Koppikar and Amrita Arora in a lesbian relationship. Both the film’s theme and the poster triggered a controversy.
Zeher (2005)
Zeher talked about an extra marital relationship. While the music of the film was super successful, the poster of the film which featured a backless Udita Goswami sitting in front of Emraan Hashmi raised many eyebrows.
Rog (2005)
Rog, directed by Pooja featured Liene Hamman in the lead. The poster of the film had the actress striking a provocative pose wearing a hardly-there bikini and therefore, the controversy.
Rang Rasiya (2008)
The audience could not really warm up to the film which was based on the life of a painter who paints gods and goddesses with his imagination. It had Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen in a romantic angle. The poster of the film featured both Randeep and Nandana fully painted in colours in each other’s arms.
Kurbaan (2009)
One of the films that showed a beautiful chemistry between Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, Kurbaan was appreciated for its music. However, the poster which had a backless Kareena looking at an injured Saif couldn’t go down well with the audience. For some, it was too explicit for mainstream Hindi cinema.
Billu (2009)
There were no objections to the film or the poster except the film’s title itself. The Irrfan Khan starrer was initially titled as Billu Barber. It was reported that the barber community got offended and demanded to get the word ‘barber’ removed from the posters.
Dunno Y… Na Jaane Kyun (2010)
The film talked about homosexual relationships. The poster of the film raised controversies because it portrayed two men in a provocative pose.
Guzaarish (2010)
All because women in traditional Indian culture are not seen smoking or drinking, the poster of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish became controversial. It showed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan smoking as Hrithik Roshan looks at her in dismay.
Murder 2 (2011)
More than the fact that Jacqueline was seen sitting just draped in a red coloured cloth, the poster of Murder 2 became a sensation because of being copied from a Chinese film.
Hate Story (2012)
Again, history has it that a poster showing a woman posing backless is bound to raise eyebrows. And that’s what happened with Hate Story. The film was about a woman’s revenge from an influential businessman.
Jism 2 (2012)
Jism 2 was a launchpad for Sunny Leone in Bollywood and was already under the scanner for the same. The film’s poster showed a naked woman draped in a wet white coloured cloth.
Blood Money (2012)
While the film didn’t have anything to talk about, the poster created a stir for featuring too many bikini clad women. Whatteeyyy!
Nasha (2013)
Nasha featured Poonam Pandey, an actress who anyway tries to be in news with her sexually explicit tactics. The film’s poster had her posing naked with just two planks covering her modesty.
Mastram (2013)
Mastram was a sex comedy and its posters had to do justice to its theme, therefore.
Dirty Politics (2015)
The film had Mallika Sherawat draped in tricolour, the colours of Indian National Flag.
PK (2014)
Some people couldn’t warm up to a naked Aamir Khan holding a transistor to cover himself in the poster of PK. Women organisation even reached the court object to the poster.
Singh Is Bliing (2015)
The poster of Singh Is Bliing reportedly hurt the sentiments of Sikhs who objected to the usage of Kada, their religious symbol in the poster.
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