BackUNDERSTATEMENT: Butt not enough
How Salman Khan steers his conversation with Kim Kardashian on Bigg Boss will determine the American socialite's connect with Indian viewers
Premium
Another accented “namaste" in the form of American model and actor Kim Kardashian is set to bomb those who watch reality TV show Bigg Boss Season 8. I have all intentions of tuning in on the 22nd of this month when Kardashian arrives on the show reportedly in exchange of a few crores. Her glistening body on the recent cover of Paper magazine may not have “broken the internet" but it did add gall to her scandalous resume of being this American socialite-at-large (pun not intended).
For those following fashion, Kardarshian is a jarring symbol of logos, personal whimsy, some style and lots of exhibitionism. I am not a fan, but like they say she does rake in curiosity. A “leaked sex tape" as a constant headline on her formal introduction for the uninitiated has clearly not meant enough assault of privacy for her. Wanting her bodacious butt to be oiled, Photoshopped and served on a magazine cover (with inside pages showing frontal nudity) gets her into the club of celebrities who use their body as their primary language of communication with the world. This is a peculiar breed for whom boobs and butts speak louder than films, songs or acts.
But let’s not judge them too soon. Among them, some ooze rare confidence in an age where women’s bodies are constantly put into the dock for one reason or the other. Others think of nudity as an attention-seeking short cut to celebrity hood, while some others are just pure devotees of glamour. Jennifer Aniston for American GQ in 2009 wearing a tie and a naughty smile blew out confidence like an air kiss but the nude Bar Rafaeli on Esquire--in 2009--with body paint handwriting screaming Morality and a detour to Stephen King was a diva like few others. Lake Bell gave it a shot for New York magazine last year, and ended up looking really unsexy while Beyonce for Flaunt--also last year--with bronze-gold dust on her unclothed curves was sensuality embodied.
Posing nude may involve a long decision for the celebrity but the resultant photograph captures a rare and very brief moment of intimacy between the photographer’s eye, the woman’s body and what she makes of that body in her own mind. It is like an ignition point that sparks when multiple mirrors throw out a dozen images. Kardarshian’s glowing butt on Paper magazine didn’t really ignite that kind of moment but it did raise her stock as a guest with shock value that Bigg Boss could do with.
In a note published by Quartz.com, adult porn star Sunny Leone gives Kim Kardashian cute gyaan on Indian food, hygiene, hospitality and viewer expectations based on her own time on Bigg Boss. She also tells viewers to be ready for the TRPs going through the roof when Kardashian steps into the mad house.
A sex tape leak, pregnancy gossip, much publicized posturing with husband Kayne West, getting photographed up in some of the world’s best known fashion brands and now a butt cover undeniably make Kardarshian a reality TV VIP. But I am more excited to see how the brazenly spoken Salman Khan, the anchor of Bigg Boss who wears a cheeky adolescent persona on his sleeve for the show handles the “if and butt" conversation with Kardashian. Khan is usually smitten by conventionally beautiful damsels in distress so she may not be his type personally, all the more reason he may make an extra effort to serenade her for the viewers. Given his acting skills there is a good possibility that Khan’s Alpha Male tactics spark that ‘moment’ Kardarshian badly needs to strike a connect with Indian viewers. Let’s hope she knows when to butt in and make that moment hers.
This series is a comment on popular culture statements made through actions or words. Shefalee Vasudev is the author of Powder Room: The Untold Story of Indian Fashion.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
