'The highlight of Housefull is not the bikini'

Her decision to don a bikini in Housefull has won her legions of fans but Deepika Padukone says she is taken aback by the attention the short sequence is receiving.

The leggy beauty will be seen strutting her stuff on an Italian beach with her co-stars Lara Dutta, Jiah Khan, Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh in Housefull, but she says there is more to the film than just bikinis.

"When you are shooting on a beach in Italy, you have to look sexy. However, the highlight of the film is not the bikini here. I remember people making a big deal about Priyanka (Chopra) wearing a swimsuit in Dostana but we know that the film was a lot more than that," Deepika told PTI.

The actress, who has paired up once again with Akshay a year after the Chandni Chowk To China debacle, has no qualms about wearing a bikini, if the script demands so.

'"All the advertising is fine as long as everyone related to the film is aware about the real intent. On the same lines in Housefull too, we girls appear in bikinis for a while but the film moves on. The focus is not skin show. But then when some people think so, it takes away the credibility of the director," said Padukone.

Jiah Khan: I wasn't competing with anyone in the bikini shot

Joginder Tuteja, Bollywood Trade News Network

After tantalizing audience in NISHABD and GHAJINI, Jiah Khan has gone a step ahead in HOUSEFULL by wearing a two piece bikini for a song sequence. Since the film also has Deepika Padukone and Lara Dutta turning on the glam avatar while being seen in a bikini, one can well expect a healthy competition between the trio, right?
"No, I am sure that was not the case here", immediately negates Jiah, "There was never any competition whatsoever around who would turn out looking better than the other. See, no one is immature out here, least of all someone like Deepika or Lara. They are here for long and everyone understands that people are just playing their roles. Also, the most wonderful thing is that all of us look so different. You may say that I am being diplomatic but if you ask me then if at all there was someone who was feeling nervous, it was me."

And pray, why was that so?

"That's because compared to Deepika and Lara, I am the real short one", laughs Jiah, "While both of them were super confident, I was worried if I would look really proper. See, Lara has been a Miss Universe and has been a professional in the glamour world for long. She is pretty mature about things like these. As for Deepika, she has been a model and worn bikini in the past. Both these females boast of such huge confidence which is remarkable. This is the reason why there was no competition at all. How could I even think that I would be competing with them?"