Veteran actor Annu Kapoor addressed the controversy surrounding his “dudhiya badan” remark about actress Tamannaah Bhatia and offered clarification on the context and intent behind his statement. Known for his candid opinions, Kapoor said the backlash stemmed from how his words were interpreted rather than what he meant.
How the controversy began
The issue dates back to an earlier interaction with Shubhankar Mishra, where Kapoor reacted to Tamannaah’s performance in the song Aaj Ki Raat from Stree 2. During the conversation, he had said, “Mashallah kya dudhiya badan hai (Oh my god, what milky body she has),” a comment that went viral and sparked mixed reactions online.
Annu Kapoor explains the context
In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Kapoor detailed the circumstances that led to his remark, linking it to a professional discussion during his shows abroad.
“Last year, I had shows in America. I told our creative team that the contestants are good, so suggest a googly-type song. Then they played this song ‘Aaj Ki Raat’. I said the composition is very good. They said the song is very popular but contestants won’t be able to score in it, so it can be a googly song because the ‘mukhda’ doesn’t fully land. I asked them to show me the video. I watched it and said she is dancing very well. That’s all that happened.”
Addressing the criticism, Kapoor suggested that the outrage was amplified because of the Hindi phrasing. He argued that similar expressions in English may not have drawn the same reaction.
“If you say it in English, it’s fine, but in Hindi it becomes a problem. Abuse in our own language hits harder, but if you say the same thing in English, no one has an issue. If I had said ‘milky body’, there would have been no problem. What age would she be - 28, 30? My children are that age. Just because I said ‘dudhiya badan’, people started calling me an old man and trolling me.”
Kapoor also clarified that his comment was intended as appreciation, not objectification.
Ready to apologise if needed
The actor added that he stands by his words but is open to apologising if Tamannaah felt hurt by the remark.
“If she asks me whether I said it, I will say yes, I did. If you felt bad, I will touch your feet. If a 71-year-old man touches her feet, what will she say? Nothing, because I am not doing it with any wrong intention.”
Tamannaah has not reacted to the controversy yet.
