Sharmila Tagore was among the first few actresses to wear a bikini on the big screen when she donned the outfit in the 1967 romantic thriller film An Evening In Paris. The actress recently shared that the public, as well as the Hindi film industry, was 'shocked' seeing her bikini scene, and even added that questions were raised over the same in the Indian Parliament.
The 78-year-old actress was recently in Delhi attending an event titled Breaking The Boundaries: An Accidental Actor To An Idol. Speaking at the same session, Tagore said, "When I did An Evening In Paris, my bikini scene was shocking. The public, including the industry, was quite surprised. I believe there were questions asked in Parliament at that time. Although it looks very innocent now, compared to the kind of films we see today", as quoted by The Times of India.
Sharmila even recalled that she asked her driver to remove the film's poster in the middle of the night as her mother-in-law was visiting the town. "I remember there was a poster of the film on the road (near her home), and my mother-in-law was coming to town, so I got my driver to take down that poster in the middle of the night – not realising that there might be other posters on the way from the airport", the veteran actress added.
Sharmila Tagore further stated that after the film's release, she realised "a glamorous image is all very good" but if she wanted to be taken seriously, then she have to be more than just that, and hence consciously signed films such as Aradhana, Amar Prem, Avishkar, Mausam, and Namkeen. Concluding her thoughts, the actress said, "I managed to take myself beyond glamour. Glamour is not forever. You are very attractive, and the world goes crazy about you, but after a while, somebody else will take that place."
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