Actor Sherlyn Chopra has always been candid about her relationship with cosmetic procedures. This time, the story carries a sharper edge. Her announcement about undergoing breast-implant removal has struck a different chord; not because it is dramatic, but because it highlights a rarely discussed reality.

After months of persistent back, neck, chest and shoulder pain, a series of medical investigations pointed to a cause she hadn’t expected: the very implants she once chose for confidence and aesthetics. “Not only that, I was also experiencing shortness of breath, brain fog and other such symptoms,” says Chopra.

Her decision to remove them, shared candidly on social media, is now prompting conversations far beyond celebrity circles: among plastic surgeons and women considering or living with implants.

Chopra’s implants date back to 2021. At the time, the choice stemmed less from personal desire and more from industry conditioning. “I was constantly told that the perfect vital statistics of a Bollywood heroine were 36-24-36,” she recalls.

“When a notion is imposed upon you repeatedly, it tends to get registered into your subconscious…external validation had become my source of happiness and worthiness.”

Her decision to undergo silicone implant surgery was framed as an upgrade. Even then, she was informed of some discomfort. “I was told that large breast implants could cause discomfort and uneasiness, but with time, the discomfort and uneasiness would gradually subside,” she says. “In my case, the pain in my back, chest, neck and shoulders turned out to be chronic. Living on painkillers day in and day out was not a favourable option, especially for a kidney failure survivor such as myself.”

Her story, though deeply personal, is far from unusual. Chopra’s symptoms mirror what plastic surgeons say they see in patients with disproportionately large implants. Although most implants do not cause systemic health issues, size and fit matter deeply. Dr Raghav Mantri, Director of Plastic Surgery at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Delhi, says the problems often begin with a mismatch between anatomy and implant size.

The physical consequences can mirror what doctors see in natural breast hypertrophy.

“We perform breast reduction surgeries in women with very big breasts because they suffer from back and shoulder pain, straps digging into their bodies, and fungal infections,” Dr Mantri explains.

By the time Chopra sought medical help, the pain had become unmanageable. “When I could no longer endure my chronic pain, I decided to get a series of medical investigations done, all of which pointed to my heavy breast implants as the sole culprits,” she says.

She had lived with them for four years. But the shift in understanding came with a shift in self-perception. “I’m done with pleasing people. No more. I have chosen on purpose to embrace my authenticity,” she says. “Being vulnerable is a state of being true to oneself, without which growth and evolution are incomplete.”

The surgery, performed recently, marked — in her words — “one of the best decisions of my life.” The relief was immediate. “I felt as light as a butterfly… There’s absolutely no point in living life with excess baggage.”

Dr Rajat Gupta, Director for Aesthetic Surgery at CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, and Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, explains why Chopra’s implant size is notable. “Standard companies don’t make implants bigger than 600 cc. So, these would be customised implants for the patient,” he says. “Most good doctors would not agree to implants this big because it wouldn’t suit the anatomy… the breasts will sag down and cause pain in the shoulders and neck.”

In typical practice, most Indian patients receive implants between 200–300 cc — sizes that balance aesthetics with long-term comfort. Both experts underline that problems arise when size expectations override anatomical suitability.

“A lot of times there’s a mismatch between what we think our size should be and what would actually fit best,” Dr Mantri says. “If you put a bigger implant, all these problems can happen.” While day-to-day discomfort is the most common outcome of excessively large implants, other complications can surface too, like — capsular contracture, implant rupture, and rare tumours linked to textured implants.

While Chopra’s case is linked to size and symptoms, many women seek removal for different reasons. Dr Gupta has seen patients return after 15–20 years.

“Their desire to look a certain way changes. That is the primary reason,” he says. Some women simply downsize. Others feel they no longer resonate with the exaggerated silhouette they once desired. While removing implants is usually a straightforward procedure, the aftermath depends on implant size. Larger implants, once removed, can leave behind stretched skin and significant sagging. “Patients might require breast lift surgery to remove the excess skin,” Dr Gupta says.

For Chopra, the explant marks a decisive turn away from the pressures she once absorbed unquestioningly. The physical relief has been accompanied by mental clarity, a recalibration of what beauty means and what it costs. The surgeons, too, see her story as an important reminder that cosmetic procedures are not simply about body enhancement; they are about navigating expectations, negotiating pressure and choosing health over ideals.

It was yet another day of drama in the life of Rakhi Sawant a couple of days ago, as the actress was summoned by the Mumbai Police after a complaint by model-actor Sherlyn Chopra. In her complaint, Sherlyn said that Rakhi made inappropriate videos and photos of her go viral. The police registered an FIR against the latter based on the complaint. She was brought to Amboli police station for further questioning. However, soon, the news of her being arrested started doing the rounds.

Rakhi’s husband Adil Khan Durrani told BT, “Rakhi was being called for inquiry for quite some time, but couldn’t go because of her work commitments. She was also occupied with her mother, who is not keeping well. The Amboli police told her that they were aware of her mother’s condition and asked her if she could come for the inquiry. Rakhi went by herself and wasn’t arrested. She gave her statement and they have taken her phone, which shall be returned soon. It was only later in the evening that we got to know about the rumours of her being arrested. Had we known that something like this was being circulated, we would have clarified things earlier.”

Rakhi has been hogging the limelight for the past couple of weeks after pictures from her marriage to Adil went viral. She is often accused of doing things to be in the news. To this, Adil said, “She doesn’t have to try to be in the news, she is always in the news because of the love from the junta.”

For the unversed, Rakhi and Adil’s marriage was in the news recently. Adil, who initially didn’t acknowledge the marriage, came around and finally admitted that they had tied the knot seven months ago.

Raj Kundra, entrepreneur and husband of actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra, was granted relief in the pornography case on Tuesday. The Supreme Court granted him and four others anticipatory bail in the case. Others who were granted relief by the apex court include actors Sherlyn Chopra and Poonam Pandey. An FIR was filed against the five for allegedly distributing pornographic videos.

On Tuesday, a bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna also directed all the accused to cooperate in the investigation. “Having heard the counsel for the parties, we are of the view that the petitioners may be granted anticipatory bail,” the bench said.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted Kundra interim protection from arrest in the case. He was arrested in July 2021, after an FIR was registered against Raj and four others by a woman who approached the police and made certain allegations. The case was transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Raj was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays) and sections of the Information Technology Act and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. The report also named Sherlyn Chopra and Poonam Pandey as co-accused.

Kundra was released on bail later in the year. His lawyers claimed that he was in no way connected to content creation, publication or transmission of alleged illegal videos.

Since his bail, Kundra has kept a low profile and only appears in public wearing full face masks. In September, he reacted to the case with a social media post. Sharing a picture of himself, Raj captioned the post, “One Year Today released from #ArthurRoad Its a matter of time Justice will be served! The truth will be out soon!”

Mumbai: Businessman Raj Kundra, model Sherlyn Chopra, Poonam Pandey and film producer Meeta Jhunjhunwala and cameraman connived with each other shot obscene/porn videos in two five star hotels in the suburbs and circulated the content on various OTT platform for financial consideration, says a chargesheet by Maharashtra Cyber police on Friday.

Police said that Kundra, director of Armsprime Media limited was involved in production and distribution of pornographic videos.

In 2019, the cyber police had registered an offence under section 292 (sale of obscene material) and under Information Technology Act against unknown persons after a Custom and Central excise officer lodged a complaint that some websites were uploading obscene content on the internet.

The police on Friday submitted a 450-page chargesheet against models Sherlyn Chopra, Poonam Pandey, cameraman Raju Dubey, Jhunjhunwala, Banana prime OTT director Suvajit Choudhary, Kundra of Armsprime Media Private Limited and his employee Umesh Kamat.

In the chargesheet, police have named Poonam Pandey, Sherlyn Chopra’s obscene videos were found uploaded/ released on various OTT platforms . Suvajit Choudhary, director of Banana Prime - the OTT platform is accused of producing web series Prem Paglami containing porn content and uploading on his OTT, the chargesheet said.

In the chargesheet, police have stated that Poonam Pandey (39), with help of Kundra's company, developed her own mobile app and got her obscene videos shot in five star hotels in suburbs and got them uploaded and circulated. It states that accused cameraman Raju Dubey shot the videos of Chopra, knowing that it amounts to crime.

Film writer and producer Meeta Jhunjhunawala, business head and celebrity management of Arms Prime, had aided and abetted in directing and scripting stories for Chopra. Similarly, model Poonam Pandey made a business agreement with Armsprime and made her own mobile app ‘The Poonam Pandey’ and uploaded obscene content on the OTT platform.

“Of all these, Armsprime company got financial benefits from all these accused and hence the company has aided and abetted in the crime,” the chargesheet said.

Police are looking for few models who worked in porn films/web series but have gone underground since the case was registered.

Police have also chargesheeted Umesh Kamat who was manager for the London based company-Hotshot, owned by Kundra's brother-in-law Pradeep Bakshi’s company Kenrin, registered in the United Kingdom.

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman-husband Raj Kundra on Tuesday sent a legal notice to actress Sherlyn Chopra seeking Rs. 50 crore in damages for ruining their reputation by making “false and baseless” allegations against them. The notice, sent through their advocate Prashant Patil, also sought an unconditional public apology from Chopra in newspapers and on digital media platforms within seven days, failing which it warned of civil and criminal proceedings against her.

Both Kundra and Chopra are accused in a pornographic content case. Last month, he was granted bail by a Mumbai court after two months in jail. Last week, Chopra had filed a complaint at Juhu police station against Shetty and Kundra accusing them of committing fraud against her. She had also alleged harassment, cheating and criminal intimidation.

The notice said Chopra’s allegations are an “afterthought” as she is also an accused in the case. Shetty is no way connected or involved in the daily affairs of the Kundra-promoted JL Stream app, it said.

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Days after actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra and businessman Raj Kundra’s lawyers warned actor Sherlyn Chopra of a defamation case, they’ve gone ahead with the suit. Chopra had filed a complaint against the couple for allegedly committing fraud against her and for mental harassment. Now, the couple has hit back with a defamation suit of Rs. 50 crore against her.

In a notice sent to Chopra by the couple, they claim that “entire allegations” made by Chopra are “concocted, false, fake, frivolous, baseless, without any evidence”.

It adds that they have been made with an “ulterior motive to defame and extort money”.

Furthermore, it says, “That, Ms Shilpa Shetty is not at all involved in any of the working affairs of the JL Stream App. It is nothing but an audacious attempt, by Ms Sherlyn to drag Ms Shilpa Shetty’s name to create unwanted controversy and gain media attention... we have complete faith in the Indian Judiciary, and we would be initiating civil/criminal proceedings against Ms Sherlyn Chopra... (sic)”

On October 14, Chopra, after filing the complaint, had also announced that she would reveal details about her allegations in a press conference. Replying to that, the couple’s lawyers sent a warning, saying, “Calling for a press conference to do this reflects a strong intention to commit an offence of defamation. Anything spoken by Miss Chopra in the public domain shall be held against her in the court of law...”

In a statement to Mumbai Police, Shilpa Shetty Kundra has claimed she was not aware of her husband Raj Kundra’s activities as she was busy with her own work, according to a supplementary chargesheet filed by the city police in court in Mumbai in connection with a case pertaining to pornographic films. Shilpa’s statement is part of the nearly 1,500-page chargesheet filed before a magistrate court on Wednesday by the police against Kundra, 46, and his associate Ryan Thorpe.

According to the chargesheet, Shilpa told the police that she did not know anything about the HotShots and Bollywood Fame apps, allegedly used by the accused for uploading and streaming obscene content. Shilpa claimed she “did not know what her husband was doing as she was busy with her work”, the chargesheet said Besides Shilpa, the police have recorded the statements, including some before a magistrate, of at least 42 other wit nesses, including models, films and television actresses.

In the voluminous docu ment, the police have said the probe conducted by the property cell of the crime branch has revealed that Kundra was the “main facilitator” in the porn films case. The police said Kundra and Thorpe, in conspiracy with the accused arrested earlier, took advantage of financially weak young women who were struggling in the film industry and made obscene movies with them. These videos were sold through subscriptions and Kundra “illegally” earned millions from them, said the chargesheet.

Earlier, Kundra had sought anticipatory bail in the FIR lodged by the Mumbai Police Cyber Crime Cell in connection with the case, claiming he was falsely implicated. He further contended that there is no evidence to link him to the HotShot App and that he was being made a ‘scapegoat’.

However, later on July 19, Kundra was nabbed in a similar complaint registered by the Crime Branch in 2021 and is currently in jail under judicial custody. Their bail pleas are pending before a Mumbai sessions court. Meanwhile, amid the ongoing case, Shilpa recently visited the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple in J&K’s Katra to seek blessings.

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Actor Sherlyn Chopra seemingly took a dig at Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s statement to the police about her husband, Raj Kundra’s alleged involvement in the creation and dissemination of pornography.

Shetty reportedly told the authorities that she didn’t know about her husband’s activities, as she was busy with work. Chopra, who had previously said that she was the first person to record a statement in the case, shared a video on Twitter. “According to some reports, didi is saying that she was not aware of the nefarious activities of her husband. Didi is also saying that she doesn’t know about the movable and immovable assets of her husband. How true is this statement, you guys can understand yourselves.” Chopra was lifting weights the entire time, and added, “Waise isey kya kehte hain (What is it called)? Yeda bankar, peda khana. Hai na?”

A supplementary chargesheet was filed by the Mumbai Police’s crime branch on Thursday against Raj Kundra. In her statement to the property cell, Shetty claimed she wasn’t aware of the purported pornographic racket run by her husband.

Mumbai: Actor Sherlyn Chopra, summoned by city crime branch, probing a pornography case, appeared before police on Friday and recorded her statement. Chopra had failed to appear last month and said she will move court before appearing before crime branch.

Chopra, whose anticipatory bail application was rejected by sessions court last week, went to the property cell office in Byculla around noon. Police recorded her statement after new facts came to light following the arrest of Raj Kundra and his IT head Ryan Thopre. Police told her she may have to appear again if needed. An officer said she carried some documents related to the case.

Mumbai: A sessions court on Monday adjourned hearing in the anticipatory bail plea moved by businessman Raj Kundra in an obscenity case being investigated by the cyber crime police. The court extended the interim relief from arrest in the case.

In November 2020, police had registered an FIR against 14 OTT platforms and web portals for obscene content based on a complaint by a retired customs official. Summons were sent to the heads of these platforms and portals, besides some actors in the videos.

Kundra is currently in custody in a case being investigated by the crime branch. Kundra’s name surfaced after the property cell, which was probing the case, discovered the involvement of a UK production company, Kenrin, and police arrested its executive, Umesh Kamat.

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Mumbai: The city crime branch probing Raj Kundra for production of porn films summoned actor Sherlyn Chopra to record her statement as a witness in the case. In March, Chopra had lodged a complaint involving obscene videos of her being published online. The police on Monday clarified that as of now they have not found anything against Kundra’s wife Shilpa Shetty.

The property cell on Monday recorded the statement of model-actress Sagarika Shona Suman who has alleged Kundra’s company wanted to rope in some reality show contestants for live streaming strip shows. She also told police Tanvir Hashmi, who claims to be the video editor in the porn movie racket, was earlier arrested in a gang rape case.

Following his arrest for alleged involvement in a pornography case, businessman Raj Kundra has been sent to police custody till July 23.

The case is about him luring in aspiring actors and models with a promise to give them a break, and then allegedly forcing women into porn.

It all started in 2019 when the 45-year-old invested in a tech start-up Armsprime Media. They went on to sign Poonam Pandey, Gehana Vasisth and Sherlyn Chopra. Soon, Pandey filed a case against Kundra for theft and Kundra said he is not an investor anymore.

This year, his name cropped up again in connection with the company, leading to his arrest. Vasisth was also arrested in the same case and is out on bail. Her publicist released a statement on her behalf saying, “Police should investigate fully as there are more skeletons in the cupboards of the rich.”

Pandey shares that all her sympathies are with Shilpa and her kids. “I can’t imagine what she must be going through. So, I refuse to use this opportunity to highlight my trauma. The only thing I’ll add is that I had filed a complaint against him and the matter is sub judice,” she said.

Moreover, in a video uploaded by actor-model Sagarika Shona Suman in February, she alleged that she was asked to give her audition via video call where three people, one of them allegedly Kundra, demanded a nude audition from her. Actor Shruti Gera says she was approached in 2018 by a casting director who said Kundra would meet her to discuss his web show. “To imagine that someone like Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty’s husband would be doing this. People like him exploit the vulnerability of young females around.”

A college-drop out, Raj Kundra considers his father to be his role model. The latter worked as a bus conductor in London before running small businesses including grocery, post offices and drug stores.

After turning 18, he went to Dubai and later Nepal, from where he sourced pashmina shawls which he sold to famous fashion houses in Britain including Christian Dior and Josephs. He made €20 million in the first year.

Later, he went into diamond trading in Dubai, dabbled in precious metals, construction, mining, green renewable energy projects and financed Hindi films.

A year after his divorce with his first wife Kavita, he met Shilpa Shetty. They got married in 2009.

Raj Kundra’s ex-wife had accused Shilpa Shetty of breaking up their marriage. She claimed her husband had become obsessed with Shilpa and they had started an affair. Recently, he talked about his relationship with Kavita and alleged that she had an affair with his former brother-in-law.

Raj Kundra was also involved in the IPL betting scandal in 2013, and was banned for life from cricket activities. His team Rajasthan Royals was banned for two years.

The home shopping portal owned by him had shut shop all of a sudden in December 2016. While the company cited demagnetization as the reason, vendors said production was stopped almost a week before the note ban announcement. They alleged that the company has defaulted on payments since the beginning of 2016.

In 2018, Enforcement Directorate questioned Kundra in connection with the Gain Bitcoin case where more than 8,000 people were duped of ₹2,000 crore.

Last year, Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra were named in an another scam concerning a gold trading company of which they are ex-directors.

The case was registered on February 4, 2021 at the Malwani police station, after a property cell official raided a bungalow in Madh, Malad (West), and arrested five individuals for their alleged involvement in forcing young men and women to act in pornographic films. The videos were being uploaded on mobile apps and porn websites. Initially, the police had arrested Rowa Khan alias Yasmeen who claimed to be a producer-director, photographer Monu Sharma, and creative director Pratibha Nalawade and two actors, Arish Shaikh and Bhanu Thakur.

“The law will take its course. We have full faith in Mumbai Police, which is doing a good job. The courts will eventually decide during trial as to who are the real culprits and which accused were merely used by others. I don’t want to comment anymore, as I am on bail in the same cases and I do not want to prejudice or impair my right to my personal defence,” said Gehana Vasisth on Monday. Vasisth, who was arrested for allegedly shooting the ‘pornographic and obscene’ videos uploaded by Kundra’s former employee, has been released on bail. On Tuesday, she issued another comment — “None of the films are porn films. Those are just bold films as other producers like Ekta Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, Vibhu Agarwal and many others make. Other apps like Netflix and Amazon have bolder content than this. One needs to understand the difference between erotica and porn. I will request people to watch those films and only then comment. Police has just misinterpreted.”

“At this moment my heart goes out to Shilpa Shetty and her kids. I can’t imagine what she must be going through. So, I refuse to use this opportunity to highlight my trauma. The only thing I’ll add is that I had filed a police complaint in 2019 against Raj Kundra and subsequently registered a case at the honourable high court of Bombay against him for fraud and theft. This matter is sub judice, hence I would prefer to limit my statements. Also, I have full faith in our police and the judicial process,” said Poonam Pandey. Pandey had a contract with Kundra’s firm, that dealt with different apps, including Pandey’s adult app. She states that Kundra’s firm used her movies and footage illegally even after their contract was terminated.

Previously, the property cell had arrested Umesh Kamat, a man who had apparently claimed in his statement that he used to work for Raj Kundra’s company. Kamat’s name had surfaced during an interrogation surrounding actress-model Gehana Vasisth’s arrest on February 6, 2021. Kamath used to work for a UK-based firm as a coordinator and would take videos from Vasisth, and send them to the same firm that later uploaded them on an app, reportedly called HotShots. The former employee of Kundra was accused of uploading at least eight “pornographic and obscene” videos shot by Vasisth, reportedly from Kundra’s office. In the course of the hearings, it came to light that though Kundra claims to have sold the HotShots app to one of the wanted accused, Pradeep Bakshi (the proprieter of UKbased company Kenrin), it is claimed that he was regularly taking updates about financial dealings of this app.

Kundra had also made a Whatsapp group of which he was the admin, where he used to discuss distribution and financial transactions related to the clips of HotShots. Vasisth and Kamat would write stories for the HotShots app clips and the mails sent with the story to others were also marked to Raj Kundra. Police suspect Raj Kundra has a stake in Kenrin. Reportedly, Kundra is a relative of Pradeep Bakshi who lives in the UK. Besides being his relative and the chairman of this company, Bakshi is also Kundra’s business partner.

The 45-year-old was taken into custody by the Crime Branch after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act. Kundra has been booked under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays), and relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, registered at Malwani police station on February 4 this year.

Kundra had approached the Sessions Court in June seeking anticipatory bail in a case filed by the cyber police in connection to a complaint alleging that certain online platforms were publishing obscene videos as a part of their web series. The complaint was filed last year under the IPC section pertaining to obscenity, the Information Technology Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act. Among those arrested was an employee of a tech startup linked with Kundra. The arrest was made on the basis of the statement of model Sherlyn Chopra. Kundra was summoned by the police. He claimed to have exited from the start-up, and had nothing to do with the alleged shoots or web series. The court is likely to decide on the anticipatory bail application next week.

In a video, actress-model Sagarika Shona Suman has claimed that she had got a call from Kamat, who offered her a web series which was supposedly backed by Kundra. She says she was further asked to give a nude audition on a video call, which she refused.

— With inputs from Agencies

Mumbai: A former employee of a social influencer tech startup has been arrested, along with a videographer, for allegedly shooting an obscene video in an Andheri hotel and uploading it online in 2019. The names of Meeta Jhunjhunwala (46) and Raju Dubey (34) came up in actor-model Sherlyn Chopra’s statement to Maharashtra Cyber in March. Jhunjhunwala was a creative director, while Dubey was the videographer of the video, ‘Chocolate’, featuring Chopra.

UK businessman Raj Kundra, who is married to actor Shilpa Shetty, was called to the Maharashtra Cyber office after Chopra mentioned him in her statement. Kundra told TOI he had submitted all documentation regarding his investment in the startup as well as his exit to Maharashtra Cyber.

In November 2020, Maharashtra Cyber had registered an FIR against 14 OTT platforms and web portals for obscene content based on a complaint by a retired customs official. Summons were sent to the heads of these platforms and portals, besides some actors in the videos. Chopra recorded her statement between March 15 and 18 after the Bombay high court granted her interim bail. “On several occasions, I got into heated arguments with Meeta regarding concepts for content creation and execution...Sometimes it was very difficult to keep aside my creative differences with her,” Chopra said in her statement.

On December 23, 2019, Jhunjhunwala organised a shoot at the hotel, according to Chopra’s statement. “Dubey was hired through my reference. I was asked to enter the hotel discreetly...The ‘Chocolate’ concept was filmed by Dubey under Meeta’s guidance...She suggested that I let go of my inhibitions and open up like Hollywood models,” Chopra said. She added that after the shoot, Jhunjhunwala used her laptop to transfer the data from a memory card into the hard drive, then formatted the memory card and gave it to the cameraman. A few more concepts were shot later. The hotel management stopped the shoot as permissions were not taken.

Dubey was arrested on March 31 and Jhunjhunwala on April 1. The founder of the tech startup told TOI that Jhunjhunwala had quit in October 2019, and he was not aware of ‘Chocolate’ being shot for his firm. 

If Pakistani model Qandeel Baloch's murder in the name of honour killing wasn't shocking enough, what sent a chill down our spine was the accused, her brother Waseem, confessing to the crime devoid of any remorse or regret. While women around the world are discussing and debating feminism, equal rights and equal pay, here, another brutal reality is staring at us in the face. Putting honour over humanity is disgraceful. Qandeel apparently wanted an Indian citizenship. The model had tweeted in March that she wanted an Indian citizenship because she was disappointed with Pakistan and had tagged PM Narendra Modi in her tweet. In an interview just days before her death, she had said, “In Pakistan, people are not ready to accept me. It would be much easier for me to work in India.“ Sadly, horrifying acts of honour killing are rampant in India as well, and various films over time have attempted to draw attention to this heinous act. Much recently, the widely acclaimed Marathi film Sairat was based on the same subject, though when we asked director Nagraj Manjule, he was evasive about it.

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai strongly expressed his views and said, “There is no comparison between India and Pakistan in this regard. Despite so many difficulties, we Indians have our own voice, whether it is honour killing or censorship. I know I have a voice here. It's not that things are easy in our country, but I still have the freedom and I am proud of my country for that. I can raise my voice against honour killing and all other issues. When we have an issue or a problem, we fight and try to solve it. These are two different countries, with different mindsets.“

Sherlyn Chopra, known for her risqué avatar, says, “I've have made some bold choices in life and I'm proud of them. Initially, my family was surprised with my daring decisions but later on realised that as an adult, I had every right to live my life on my terms as long as I was ready to face the consequences. I was prepared to face backlash after I returned from Los Angeles where I had shot for the cover of a popular adult magazine. But surprisingly, the plaudits had outnumbered the brickbats for the courage that I had shown. I feel that India is tolerant in many ways inspite of being a diverse nation. I feel deeply sorry for Qandeel, who was forced to pay a highly unreasonable price for having lived her life audaciously. No honour is above humanity. No nation or constitution can guarantee freedom to its citizens as long as there are anti-social elements prevalent across the globe. Therefore, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.“

Director Navdeep Singh, whose film NH10 touched upon the issue, says, “Honour killing is a horrible thing. It's shocking that a person's life can be tied to someone else's honour, whether brother or family. No one has the right to take anyone's life. It happens largely with women because of the patriarchal society. Though attempts are being made to dissuade honour killing, they don't reach the small towns and villages where it matters. Lecturebaazi won't help. More than legal, it is a socio-cultural issue. The threat of punishment is there for any murder, and honour killing is no less than murder.“

Pakistani actress Mawra Hocane, who made her Bollywood debut with Sanam Teri Kasam this year, adds, “She died because she didn't conform to the norms of this patriarchal society. She may be right or wrong but she wanted to live on her own terms and everyone is entitled to do so. We, who talk about women empowerment and equality of men and women in society, are the pseudo-elites who just make it to the headlines in the papers. Thousands of women like Qandeel are the ones who truly need empowerment, education and security at so many levels. I feel devastated and helpless as a girl living in the 21st century when such absurd incidents happen.“

Pakistani actress Veena Malik says, “This is not an ordinary matter. It is extremely sensitive. Nobody has the right to kill anyone in the name of honour. Such people should be punished to set an example. This incident is shocking and condemnable.“ Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar raised a valid point too. He wrote, “If women started killing us to protect their honour, a lot of us would be dead!“

Qandeel was called the 'Poonam Pandey of Pakistan'. Poonam says, “I get abused for some of my comments like the time when I had said I would strip for the Indian cricket team. I believe Qandeel made the same offer but it wasn't meant to offend anyone. My brothers may shout at me, but they won't kill me for the way I am or what I choose to wear.“

Pakistani actor Imran Abbas (who made his Bollywood debut with Creature) questioned the hypocritical mindset of the society in his latest post on social media. He wrote (excerpts), “Call me overemotional, oversensitive, whatever but the murder of this poor girl was extremely shocking. The brutal murder of this young girl, who ran after her dreams to get rid of poverty, who found her own ways to get noticed through her limited resources (although they were vulgar and not what people in our society approve of), who unveiled the real face of so called religious scholars was not at all justified in the name of honour. Who are we to judge anyone because of someone's acts in public? Who knows what others, even we are doing in the veil of darkness. Pakistan is the nation which scored the highest in searching porn sites at Google can only kill a woman in the name of honour, but throng of vultures who surrounds her body are left alone because they are MEN. This girl could have been gotten away if she was from a well-connected background and had her own links to the people in power. But her real crime was POVERTY which made her saw those dazzling dreams and took her to this point where she was strangled by a so called 'gheratmand' who even took her cell phone and little cash which was, according to this 'gheratmand society', her 'haraam ki kamaayi' (sic).

Actress Kashmera Shah reacts, “How can any human being get the right to judge morality? It's all relative - this nonsense view we have about how honourable we are. Seriously speaking, no one really cares. When you kill a beloved over a warped sense of honour, you take yourself further from God and anything and everything that is holy. Qandeel's death is a shame on every brother who takes a vow to protect his sister.“

Sunny Leone says, “I'm upset about this and have not figured out my emotions from my thoughts to my opinion on it. I am sad to read this.“ In the past, the actress had spoken about how her relatives had disowned her appearance in Bigg Boss. Actress Mahira Khan retweeted, “Honour killing is such a false term to describe a beyghairat committing cold-blooded murder.“

Sherlyn Chopra has been signed on to play a double role in Satellite Pictures' next venture.The film is slated to go on floors as soon as the actress wraps up the shooting of her bilingual film.

The movie, which is yet untitled, will be produced by Subhash Choudhary and Shaila. One might remember that the producer duo's earlier production Filmistaan bagged the National Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi in 2012.

In sharp contrast to the award-winning film that had debutant actors, the makers were keen to sign on an established actress for their next. “The premise of this film is much more challenging than that of Filmistaan. We were aware that the lead role was a rather difficult one. So we thought that we would need a talented and established actress to play the protagonist,“ says Subhash. The two add that while they were considering a few actresses, it was the film's casting director, D K Shroff, who recommended Sherlyn for the role. Says Shaila, “When we met her, we realised that there is more than meets the eye. Sherlyn's personality has multiple layers, which makes her very intriguing as an individual. And it is because of this very trait that we felt she would be able to add a new dimension to her characters. The film will be shot across India and shall hopefully be ready for release in 2016.“

While they are excited about their second venture, the producers also state that they are still trying to find their footing in the industry. “Although our debut theatrical release bagged a National Award, we still consider ourselves new players in the business of filmmaking. We are willing to learn the ways and techniques of storytelling over time, and are always trying to give our best shot,“ concludes Subhash.

You have this bad girl image. What is Sherlyn Chopra actually like?
The real Sherlyn Chopra is BAD... Bold And Daring. I guess a part of me is very shy. I don't know if the viewers would believe it or not, but the truth is, I am a shy girl.

You've gone on record to say that you are more attracted to women than men...
I choose to believe that most women have a higher EQ (emotional quotient) than men. I find it easy to bare my heart and soul to women. Most of the men whom I have met to date have been very judgmental, shallow and they have just one thing on their mind. And that is overrated. I would rather have soul sex - ­ taste one's thoughts, ideas, notions, temperament, sentiments - than have mechanical or meaningless sex. When it comes to soul sex, I prefer women. Cheers to womanhood.

Tell us one thing about you that most people don't know.
I write. I love to write short stories and poetry. I like to use them as the story fabric for my singles and music videos. I am working on a single, which I believe has the potential to be the anthem for women empowerment. It's soulful, entertaining and it's about my life, my journey so far.

You're quite open about nudity in an industry where most aren't...
To me, nudity is the most unadulterated form of art.

What do you think is your best asset?
My best asset are my innocent eyes. Umm, no. My wicked mind. I guess it's all in the mind. I could be very gorgeous, breathtaking, smoking hot and have a very boring approach to life or I could be the girl-next-door with a wicked mind.

What attracts you in a man?
His ability to embrace me with my strengths and weaknesses. And not feel insecure around me. Embrace my dreams as his dreams that would be a very a selfless thing to do. If a man ever does that for me, I would consider him my 'pati parmeshwar'!

You're the first Indian to feature on Playboy. How did it happen?
I took the initiative by writing to Hugh Hefner and he replied in the affirmative. The rest is history. Every time I talk about Playboy, I am reminded of the irony of my life that it took me something as risky as Playboy to discover myself, to have my consciousness raised.

Tell us the secret behind your figure.
I just burn calories more or less the same way anyone does.

Tell us about your upcoming films.
I play the protagonist in a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual film, which will release by the end of this year. I'm glad this film has come my way because the journey of the protagonist has the potential to cater to a majority of youth. Her experiences, yearning, mistakes and vulnerability will resonate with the youth. There's another movie about which I have not spoken till date. I have a dual role in it. I'm praying that by the end of this year, both films hit screens here and overseas.

Your message for your follo'ers?
You are the master of your reality. You are the magic, you are the magician. Let nobody bring you down. Say, I am who I am.