All
that
talk
of
aspiring
actor
Nikhil
Dwivedi
doing
a
nude
sequence
for
Mani
Ratnam's
Raavan
was
a
bit
premature.
The
fact
is,
Nikhil
got
shy
at
the
last
minute
about
going
all
the
way
thereby
creating
a
panic
in
the
jungles
where
the
film
was
shot.
Says
a
very
reliable
source
from
the
unit,
"The
first
ever
male
nude
sequence
in
a
Hindi
film
almost
didn't
happen.
Nikhil
Dwivedi
who
had
to
do
the
scene
copped
out.
The
director
Mani
Ratnam
tried
to
explain
to
him
that
the
scene
was
not
for
titillation.
It
is
a
scene
of
torture
of
a
cop.
Usually
its
cops
who
are
shown
torturing
suspected
offenders.
Here
it's
the
other
way
around.
Beera
(Abhishek)
and
his
men
capture
a
cop
played
by
Nikhil
Dwivedi.
They
strip
and
torture
him."
This
is
where
Nikhil
put
his
foot
down.
He
flatly
refused
to
perform
the
'rear'
feat
arguing
that
his
family
and
friends
would
be
deeply
mortified.
"Sir
main
apne
ghar
walon
ko
kya
mooh
dikhaonga?" Dwivedi
apparently
whined
in
front
of
the
baffled
director
who
isn't
used
to
being
told
no.
Says
the
source,
"All
attempts
to
convince
Nikhil
to
bare
all
failed.
Mani
Ratnam
was
at
his
wit's
end.
His
assistants
reminded
Nikhil
that
the
actor's
counterpart
in
Tamil
(John
Vijay)
had
willingly
bared
all.
But
Nikhil
was
immovable.
They
finally
had
to
get
a
body-double
with...
shall
we
see...
similar
vital
statistics
to
stand
in
for
Nikhil."
When
contacted
Dwivedi
is
afraid
to
talk,
"I
am
not
allowed
to
say
anything.
But
if
you're
talking
about
full-frontal
nudity
then
sorry
I
won't
do
it.
We
Indians
have
a
certain
inbuilt
censorship."
While
Dwivedi
demurred,
Rahul
Bose
had
no
qualms
stripping
for
the
camera
in
Dev
Benegal's
Split
Wide
Open.
Ranbir
Kapoor
dropped
the
towel
in
Sanjay
Leela
Bhansali's
Saawariya.
Even
Anil
Kapoor
did
a
sequence
in
the
buff
for
Shankar's
Nayak.
Recently,
John
Abraham
and
Neil
Nitin
Mukesh
did
police
interrogation
scenes
in
the
nude
in
Kabir
Khan's
New
York
and
Madhur
Bhandarkar's
Jail,
respectively.
Says
Rajit
Kapoor,
"What's
the
big
deal
about
going
nude
for
the
camera?
I
did
it
in
Train
To
Pakistan
20
years
ago."
Story first published: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 17:02 [IST]