Of kisses and bikini - Aditi Rao speaks her mind

Actress Aditi Rao Hydari has flaunted a bikini and kissed on screen too. While she is "proud" of her bikini scene in "Boss", she says actresses, if seen "smooching repeatedly", could end up acquiring a "reputation" in the minds of the "conservative" Indian audiences.

Would she have desisted from doing multiple smooches with Arunodoy Singh in "Yeh Saali Zindagi" and the bikini sequence in "Boss" if she had a choice?

"I am very proud of my bikini sequence in 'Boss'. I think I have the physique to carry off the swimwear. No one can force me to wear what I don't want to. I wore a bikini in 'Boss' because I was comfortable in that scene. If I am not convinced, then no power on earth can convince me," she said.

As for "Yeh Saali Zindagi", Aditi feels things went out of hand.

"About the kisses, I'll have to admit we went overboard. I realised only later that the image is very important for the Hindi film actress. It doesn't matter how many times a male actor kisses on screen. If a female actor is seen smooching repeatedly, she acquires a reputation. Ours is a very conservative audience and film industry," she noted.

"Here, smoking, drinking and wearing short dresses are equivalents of being liberated. For me, these external trappings of emancipation are secondary. To me, freedom means the freedom to say yes or no as I want."