The most controversial cover shoots in Bollywood - of ALL time featured these nearly naked Bollywood stars

As people have the memory of goldfish, let's go over some of the most controversial magazine shoots that Bollywood stars ever were privy to. 

Starting off with the current King of Bollywood box-office, Dhurendhar himself. Ranveer Singh. Ranveer Singh's Nude Photoshoot for Paper Magazine (2022)In July 2022, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh posed fully nude for Paper Magazine's feature "Ranveer Singh: the Last Bollywood Superstar." The images, a bold homage to Burt Reynolds' iconic 1972 Cosmopolitan centerfold, showed him lying on a Turkish rug with confident, unapologetic poses. The shoot took place on a closed set at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai.

Photographer Ashish Shah captured the images. Creative direction came from Kshitij Kankaria (with assistant Keshvi Kamdar). The team included hair by Darshan Yewalekar, makeup by Tarannum Khan (or similar credits), and production support. The spread mixed vulnerability with high-fashion aesthetics, aligning with Ranveer's maximalist, boundary-pushing persona.

Ranveer Singh
All pics here courtesy: Paper Magazine's Instagram account

The photos dropped online on July 21, 2022, and Ranveer shared them on social media, instantly breaking the internet in India. It sparked massive buzz—his Instagram post and related content garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and comments quickly, with media outlets and fan pages amplifying reach into millions of views across platforms. Exact official click rates for the Paper article aren't public, but coverage described it as viral, trending heavily on Instagram, Twitter (X), and news sites.

The response was polarized. Supporters praised Ranveer's confidence, body positivity, and challenge to toxic masculinity. Critics, however, expressed outrage over "obscenity" and cultural insensitivity in conservative India. Multiple complaints led to FIRs against him under IPC sections 292, 293, 509 (obscenity and insulting modesty) and IT Act Section 67A. Mumbai Police questioned him for hours in August 2022. Some, like actor Mukesh Khanna, publicly criticized him and even targeted his wife Deepika Padukone for support.

Ranveer and the team maintained it was artistic expression. Photographer Ashish Shah called the backlash "unwarranted." Legally, it created noise with investigations and public discourse on outdated colonial-era laws, but no major tangible punishment followed—no arrests, fines, or career damage. Ranveer's stardom remained intact; he continued high-profile projects. PETA even invited him for an animal rights nude campaign.

Ultimately, it was classic online fury—intense but fleeting. It highlighted India's ongoing tensions around celebrity, sexuality, and censorship, while reinforcing Ranveer's image as a fearless, unconventional superstar. The episode generated enormous publicity with minimal long-term consequences beyond temporary controversy.

The Most controversial female star, was the illiterate and now-God fearing Mamta Kulkarni! Around 30 years prior to Ranveer Singh dropping his pants, Mamta 'khol karni' took her top off for Stardust. And it created ripples around the world.. well. not  really. Only among the Indian diaspora! For Western standards, its pretty tame. Now, in the lens of 2026, its really nothing. Urfi posts more wearing less daily. Another, equally stupid vern exchanging notoriety for fame - and she can't tell the difference between the two!  

Mamta Kulkarni posed for a bold, semi-nude cover shoot for Stardust magazine that became one of the most sensational and talked-about moments in Indian magazine history. The image showed her unzipped and covering her breasts with her arms, revealing nothing explicit but enough to create massive outrage and buzz in conservative 1990s India.

• Publication Date: It was the September 1993 issue of Stardust - a magazine that now seems to have shut shop all these years later!!
• Photographer: Jayesh Sheth Legend has it that he suggested Kulkarni for the shoot when established actresses declined, aiming for a fresh face who could create a sensation. He described it as an aesthetic topless concept where she covered herself.

Kulkarni was a newcomer at the time  - a pretty, uneducated girl-next-door type who got her break in films and quickly became known for bold choices, bikini scenes, item numbers, and headline-grabbing interviews. She had hits in the mid-90s but was never considered A-list material by most accounts; her career relied heavily on glamour and controversy rather than acting depth or dance skills. Her taste in clothes was so tacky, as was her makeup. She was queen of cringe long before Mallika Sherawat and today's Urvashi Rautella! Later Controversies and Legal IssuesHer post-acting life has been mired in serious allegations. In 2016, she was named an accused in a major ₹2,000 crore ephedrine (drug precursor) trafficking case linked to her then-partner Vicky Goswami. Police alleged her involvement based on meetings and interrogations. However, in August 2024, the Bombay High Court quashed the case against her, calling the proceedings "manifestly frivolous and vexatious" due to insufficient evidence.
She largely stayed out of the public eye for years (reportedly abroad) and has recently returned to India, with interviews and appearances that some view as a redemption or comeback arc, often invoking spirituality. Critics argue she amplified modest achievements and made repeated poor personal and professional choices.
Opinions on her remain sharply divided. Nostalgia for her 90s glamour and bold image appeals to some, while others see her story as a cautionary tale of fleeting fame built on sensation rather than substance. The principle that no one is above the law holds regardless of past stardom - similar to how other celebrities have faced legal consequences. Whether her current spiritual/redemptive narrative convinces the public is subjective; many remain skeptical given the full history.
The 1993 Stardust cover remains her most enduring (and infamous) legacy. 
We are sad Stardust no longer exists. It was scandalous and good fun - for readers. Also sad that Mamta hasn't been held accountable for her questionable past... 
Compared to that - the Jackie Shroff kissing Zeenat Aman cover, Pooja Bhatt Kissing Mahesh Bhatt cover, its all such a yawn now. 
There was the infamous MOVIE magazine Pooja Bhatt cover and Aditya Pancholi posing nude-ish for Cine Blitz... but we'll get on that another time. 


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