Krishna Shroff on her topless pictures, her family’s reaction and her non-Bollywood aspirations
Srishti Dixit (DNA; October 24, 2015)
Not too long ago, she hit the headlines for posting “topless” pictures of herself on Instagram. While you might think that like most star kids and her own brother Tiger Shroff, she may be waiting for that big Bollywood debut, Krishna tells us that it is most certainly not on the cards. In a tell-all interview, she talks to us about the infamous photoshoot, her famous brother and more.
What was the idea behind doing a “topless” photoshoot?
Honestly, there was no idea behind it. My best friend Divina Rikhye is a photographer and many a times, she just picks up the camera and we experiment. She is the only one I’m comfortable with. So one day, I was in bed and she said I want to click you like this. So a few weeks later, we tried it out. Her kind of photography is very different, she is very artistic in her approach, she studied photography in New York. I really like her style as opposed to the usual studio setting or overly photoshopped. This was just more natural and it was very aesthetically done. I love having beautiful pictures to put up on my Instagram. I don’t see anything wrong with being able to express myself on my own page. I wasn’t expecting people to go on my account and pick up all these pictures and then release them on like every website possible, I wasn’t expecting that at all.
How many pictures did you take before uploading the final one on your Instagram?
We shot it in my bedroom. It was just me, her and a friend of ours who usually assists her. It was super simple. I do my own hair and make-up, she just shoots! She doesn’t even really have to direct me; her only instruction for me is “Be yourself” and do it as naturally as possible. We did quite a few shots. My friend took around 300 pictures and then we chose the best one from that.
What were your mom (Ayesha Shroff), dad (Jackie Shroff) and Tiger’s reactions to the pictures?
I showed mom the pictures before I uploaded them on Instagram, not to get her approval or anything but just because I share all my photos with her and she loved it! She thought it was beautifully done and she thought I looked really pretty. I showed Tiger all the shots, he loved it as well. He wanted to upload one of them. So he actually uploaded one from the series before I did on his Instagram. And my dad, you guys know he’s super bindaas, he gives my brother and me our freedom. He trusts us to do what we want as long as we don’t cross any limit. We never want to break their trust because of the amount of freedom they’ve given us.
How do you deal with all the creeps on your Instagram?
Honestly, it was really surprising because from like 7,000 followers on Instagram, I now have like close to a hundred thousand followers, it’s pretty crazy. There were definitely some creepy comments. Otherwise, everyone was being surprisingly nice and supportive because I would have thought that a lot of people today are pretty close-minded and judgemental when it comes to such things. But I didn’t receive any negativity.
According to you, how does being a celebrity change the equation given that women in showbiz are all the more exposed to objectification and letching?
I am not a celebrity but being from the family of one (my father being well-known and now my brother too), it definitely changes the equation. If I was just some girl who uploaded a picture like this on my Instagram page, nobody would see it. I feel like people are really interested in me (laughs) and I am okay with that, I am not complaining.
What was the nastiest comment you read on your pictures?
Nothing nasty, probably just a few aunties here and there sharing their opinion and saying “Oh beta don’t do this! You know it’s not good!” like that’s the usual. The only thing I really had a problem with was the fact that people have used the word “topless” because, and I have said this before, being topless means you have to show nipple. The word just wasn’t right for the picture.
Are you a follower of the Kardashian sisters?
I wouldn’t say that I am a fan. It’s not like they are my role models or I look up to them. I wouldn’t even compare what I did with the Kardashians. What they do and the way it’s carried out is very different.
Which pages do you follow on Instagram?
I love Best Vacation which basically shows you all the beautiful places around the world that you should see. I also like Fitness Food Motivation. I love looking at different healthy recipes that you can make at home, different kinds of workouts... More about the food though (laughs). I don’t follow any celebrities. I follow 90 people on Instagram and all of them are people with whom I’ve either worked in the past or my school friends.
When a celebrity like Miley Cyrus puts up a topless or a racy picture on social media more often than not people see it as attention-seeking behaviour. Nudity in films is either shunned or frowned upon in Indian cinema. How do you respond to such judgement?
I can’t really speak for everyone but for myself I understand that that is the situation today in our country but I am a very free soul so I don’t really let it affect me. In my opinion, there is a very fine line between good taste and bad taste, if you know what I mean. Something could be pulled off well, artistically done whereas something else comes across as vulgar. So yeah there is a very fine line but if you stay within that line... Go for it. I am all for it.
If someone were to come up to you and make a personal attack saying that you are “going against the Indian culture” and or “acting indecently,” how would you deal with it?
You can’t change everyone’s opinion. There is always going to be some kind of judgement in the world no matter what you do. I am just a strong believer of letting people live their lives. That’s how my parents have raised me. Why should people be afraid of feeling good about them? And more than that just leave them alone, let them live their lives. They are doing something or making something for themselves so people should start minding their own business and live their own life. If some random person just came up to me and said that, I would ignore it but if I had to say something I would just explain my intention and make them understand that there is a fine line and I don’t think I crossed it in any way.
Are you making a Bollywood debut any time soon?
I am not going to be making a Bollywood debut. I just recently produced a feature-length documentary and I think that was it for me. I am not really as passionate about films as I used to be. I’ve actually taken a whole different direction. I am into sports and athletics right now so I am actually coaching high school girls and boys basketball teams at the moment. I love it because it’s my passion, it makes me happy and I feel healthy and fit doing it.
Does Tiger have something to do with it?
(Laughs) No! While we were in school both of us played on every sports team. I was the varsity captain of my volleyball, football and basketball team. I have loved sports ever since the fifth grade. Unfortunately, there is not enough scope for sports in India. If there was, I would have been in this field a long time ago.
What would you like to tell girls out there who struggle with body image issues and society’s notion of what they should look and act like?
I just want girls to understand that the whole “glamorous” life is all great and everything but it’s hard work. If that doesn’t work out for some people there are always other things to do. Like the glamour world, acting, modelling shouldn’t be the end of the world. There are lots of other options out there. Every woman should have the right to feel beautiful and do whatever makes them feel beautiful. It doesn’t necessarily have to have a motive behind it. I feel every woman should have the right to do exactly what they want, what makes them happy and what makes them feel good.