Annu Kapoor on 'milky body' remark on Tamannaah: I'll touch her feet if she's hurt
Annu Kapoor clarified that his 'milky body' comment on Tamannaah Bhatia was meant as appreciation of her performance. He expressed willingness to apologise and even touch her feet if she felt hurt by his remark.
Actor Annu Kapoor has addressed the controversy around his “dudhiya badan (milky body)” remark about actor Tamannaah Bhatia. He said in an interview that he used the remark to appreciate the actor, adding that he would apologise to Bhatia if it hurt her in any capacity.
The remark, made during a 2025 interview with The Lallantop while discussing Bhatia's performance in the song Aaj Ki Raat, went viral and sparked mixed reactions online.
I was appreciating her performance
Speaking in a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Kapoor said the comment came up while he was reviewing songs for a show.
He said that during a tour in the US last year, his team suggested Aaj Ki Raat as a challenging track for contestants. Curious, he watched the video and appreciated Tamannaah’s performance.
“I saw the video and said she is dancing very well. That’s all that happened,” he said, adding that the remark was made in that context.
Addressing the backlash, Kapoor said the reaction was influenced by the language used. He argued that similar phrases in English may not have drawn the same criticism. “If I had said ‘milky body’ in English, there wouldn’t have been an issue. But saying it in Hindi became a problem,” he said, adding that he was trolled for the remark.
Appreciation is not desire
The actor also drew a distinction between appreciation and intent, saying that noticing someone’s appearance does not necessarily imply inappropriate behaviour.
“Even if I have noticed someone’s body, I appreciate the physique, but I do not desire her. I do not have lust for that person. These are different things. I can appreciate your Rolls Royce, but it’s not necessary that I desire it or feel greedy for it," he said.
I’ll apologise if she felt hurt
Kapoor said he has no hesitation in acknowledging his words or apologising if they caused discomfort. “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,” he said, maintaining that there was no wrong intention behind his comment.
What sparked the controversy
The controversy began after Kapoor’s remarks during a podcast with Shubhankar Mishra resurfaced online. The discussion centred on Tamannaah’s song Aaj Ki Raat, which features in Stree 2, starring Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi.
During the conversation, Kapoor made comments about Tamannaah’s appearance and also reacted to her statement about audiences enjoying the song, which added to the online debate.
Kapoor said the remark was made while appreciating Tamannaah’s performance, maintained that there was no wrong intention behind it, and said he would apologise if she felt hurt.