Before Ranveer Singh, These 5 Indian Celebs Have Been Charged With 'Obscenity'

Here's a list of Bollywood celebrities who courted controversy for their boldness.

Actor Ranveer Singh recently got into legal trouble after an NGO filed a complaint against the actor for his nude photoshoot with Paper Magazine. The actor was accused of "hurting the sentiments of women".

But this isn't the first time that a Bollywood celebrity has had police complaints filed against them for nude photoshoots or stripping in films. Let's take a look at the other celebs who had been charged with 'obscenity'.

1. Aamir Khan

A case was registered against Aamir Khan in 2014 for his bare-all poster for PK. In the poster the actor was seen posing on the train tracks, covering his private parts with a radio transistor.

The police had filed a case against the makers of the film — Raju Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, the Film and Television Producer Guild President, Mukesh Bhatt and the editor and publisher of three local dailies for publishing the poster. The complainant had termed the poster "obscene, indecent and unreasonable", and a case under IPC section 292 and 294 was registered against them. The current status of the case is unknown.

2. Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna

Akshay Kumar and his actor-wife Twinkle Khanna had sparked a controversy during the fashion week in March 2009. During the show, Twinkle had unbuttoned Akshay's jeans on the ramp to promote the popular brand Levi's' 'Live Unbuttoned' campaign.

The actors and the director of the ramp show were embroiled in an obscenity case that was registered after a complaint was filed by a social worker with Mumbai's Vakola Police Station on 30 March 2009. The secretary of the show, Abigail Rosa, was arrested in the case. Later, Rosa had applied for bail claiming that she had been falsely dragged into the case. The FIR had mistakenly named her as the organiser of the show.

3. Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre

In August 1995, models Milind Soman and his then girlfriend Madhu Sapre were booked after they posed nude for the print advertisement of a popular footwear brand called Tuff Shoes. Milind and Madhu were later given a clean chit by the court in the matter.

Milind again courted controversy in 2020 after he posted a picture of himself on social media, in which he was seen running naked at a beach in Goa. The actor-model was charged with obscenity and was booked under the IPC section 294 and section 67 of the IT Act. The current status of the case is unknown.

4. Vidya Balan

In 2011, a practising advocate from Hyderabad, Sai Krishna Azad, had filed a complaint against Vidya Balan for her scenes in the film The Dirty Picture. An FIR was also lodged against the actor. The complainant had alleged that the posters and promos of the film were "obscene" and were "causing inconvenience to women" in parts of the city. He further alleged that the hoardings of the posters were "spoiling the minds of people and causing harm to the society."

Balan was booked under Section 294 (Obscene acts and songs) and under Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. The current status of the case is unknown.

The Dirty Picture, directed by Milan Luthria was a biographical drama inspired by the life of Silk Smitha.

5. Poonam Pandey

In 2020, actor Poonam Pandey and her husband Sam Bombay were arrested by the police in Goa following a photoshoot, a video of which went viral. The women's wing of Goa Forward Party had filed a complaint against the actor, alleging that she had shot a "porn video" at the city's Chapoli Dam.

The couple was later granted bail by the court over a bail bond of Rs 20,000 each. The court also said that the content perceived obscene by some and artistic by some cannot be reason enough to send a person to jail.