Bollywood likes skinny heroines, down south plump is the rule: Laxmi Raai
Actor Laxmi Raai reveals she gave up two regional films because they prefer voluptuous women and she had lost weight for her Bollywood debut, Julie 2.
Actor Laxmi Raai, who is all set to make her Bollywood debut with Julie 2, a sequel to Julie (2004), says she has no apprehensions being part of a film with bold content. “The posters and first look might have given the impression that it’s an erotic thriller but apart from the brand name and title, everything is different in this film. Glamour is needed but it’s not there for the sake of it,” says Laxmi who has worked in several Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films.
The Neha Dhupia starrer Jullie got rave reviews but Laxmi says there’s never been any pressure on her to outdo anyone. “I never had such thoughts that I have to replace Neha Dhupia or the benchmark she has set. I don’t even remember if I have seen the first Julie.”
Stating that she didn’t have any qualms about getting typecast, Laxmi says, “I have done a lot of work down South and I’m not coming to Bollywood with any baggage, so I’m happy doing a women-oriented film and not be in a film where I only have a song or few scenes.”
Reportedly, Laxmi shed a lot of weight to get in shape and don a bikini for some scenes in Julie 2. “I lost about 10 kilos during the whole journey of the film and frequent putting on and losing weight took a toll on my health and I was even hospitalized for some time. But it was all worth it,” shares the actor, adding, “It took me more than a year to work on Julie and I had to give up on a lot of projects down South because I was going back and forth with my weight. South wants me how I am. They find me an alien after this weight loss. People down South like voluptuous women. It’s only Bollywood that likes skinny girls.”
The actor also feels that, it’s a lot to do with the kind of female actors we have these days that are so well toned. “What the industry serves, people get used to that. During earlier times, Bollywood also had had voluptuous heroines such as Hema Malini, Sridevi and madhuri Dixit, but now trends have changed and so have the audiences,” she says.
Not many would know that Laxmi made a cameo appearance in Sonakshi Sinha starrer Akira. According to her, she did that film purely because of filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss who is a popular name in regional cinema. “Actually Julie was supposed to release first but due to delay in the last schedule, the release got postponed and Akira came first. Anyway, I don’t worry that my first Bollywood movie was a cameo. I still have a full fledged movie to go on and I am excited about that,” she says.
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