It's Akki’s turn to get arrested

Akshay Kumar’s wife Twinkle was arrested and released on bail for her unbuttoning act. The actor is in South Africa right now, but the police are waiting to arrest him upon his return, reports Minakshi Saini.

It really happened. Actor Akshay Kumar’s wife Twinkle was arrested and released on bail for her unbuttoning act at the recent Lakmé Fashion Week. Akshay is in South Africa right now, but the police are waiting to arrest him upon his return — he is supposed to be back in about 10 days. Their friends in the industry are in shock.

HT Image

“Twinkle surrendered before the police on Thursday, after which we arrested her. She was accompanied by her lawyer,” said an officer from Santa Cruz police station, Mumbai. The bail amount was Rs 950.

The arrest follows a complaint of obscenity filed by activist Anil Nair in reaction to Twinkle undoing the top button of Akshay’s jeans at Tarun Tahiliani’s LFW show, sponsored by Levi’s. Twinkle did not comment as the case is sub judice.

Director Anees Bazmee, who is close to the couple, says he is not against the law, but that as a friend, he finds this distressing. “So much is shown on TV and films which may be considered far more obscene than just the unbuttoning of [the] jeans, which was in sync with the brand’s campaign. Some people are conspiring against Akshay, but I wish that he comes out unscathed.”

Anthony D’Souza, who is directing Akki in Blue, says that Akshay and Twinkle are “very simple people and are too far removed from [any] obscenity”. He feels they are “too dignified to be a part of this ruckus”. The act, he said, “was a gimmick and nobody imagined it would become this big a controversy. We as an industry are with Akshay.”

However, some in Bollywood feel the couple should have been more circumspect, given their huge celebrity status. Actress Urvashi Sharma, who was in Fear Factor — Khatron Ke Khiladi, a show hosted by Akshay, is one of them. “They should have thought about the pros and cons of this act before doing it on national TV,” she says. “The footage gave me a culture shock, even though I’m a part of the industry.” She adds, though, that the arrest is “too humiliating”, and that a warning and Akki’s apology was enough.