Like it or not, Triptii Dimri, the latest internet sensation, has been making me go tauba tauba! Not in a bad way, of course. Unfortunately, a bikini, plunging neckline and a short dress brought Triptii Dimri down from being a talented actress to the next hot girl in town. Embarrassing much?

When Triptii Dimri did Animal, she became the national crush of India. But when she did a sensuous song in Bad Newz, the good people of the internet were quick to call her a “soft porn girl”. Where did all that bhabhi mentality go, peeps? So now, commercial movies like Animal and Bad Newz have posed a new question for Dimri — has she been reduced to just “the hot girl”?

Related: Bad Newz Movie Review: The Hilarious Quest To Find Baap Kon Hai

From Laila Majnu to Bad Newz

When Triptii Dimri landed her first lead role in the movie Laila Majnu, she received love from the audience for her spectacular performance. Qais and Laila’s chemistry had everyone in a chokehold. But she achieved her breakthrough as the protagonist in the Netflix film Bulbbul. Her performance in the movie wasn’t only well-received by fans but also received critical acclaim. Despite Bulbbul’s soft voice and poised nature, Triptii Dimri’s portrayal of the character added a quiet strength and charm to it.

Her role in Qala, her second Netflix film, added another feather in Dimri’s cap. The psychological period drama showed the tumultuous relationship between Qala and her domineering mother. The movie further cemented Triptii Dimri as an actor to look out for.

So far, Dimri has been a well-loved actress, but a smaller number of fans appreciate her work. But her role as Zoya Riaz in Animal made heads turn and got her the fame she deserved. She held her own against a seasoned actor like Ranbir Kapoor and enthralled the audience. But that small section of her fans were disappointed by her role. No, not because Triptii wasn’t as good as she was in her previous roles; it was because she decided to shed some inches off her clothes.

Riding on her commercial success, Triptii Dimri starred opposite Vicky Kaushal and Ammy Virk in another commercial film, Bad Newz. Suddenly, Twitter (now X) rained down on her and started calling her the “soft porn girl”. Her calibre to portray the role wasn’t what caused it but her choice to wear a bikini and do an intimate song and dance routine. And I mean, look at that body! Nobody would have minded Salma Hayek doing the same, amiright?

What’s so bad about Bad Newz?

The difference between a movie like Bulbbul and Bad Newz is not her capabilities as an actor. The only difference between these movies is the length of her clothes. Triptii Dimri switched from a saree-clad Bulbbul to a bikini-clad Saloni and suddenly went from being an actor to watch-out-for to the next hot girl in Bollywood.

Women have often been judged on their clothes, and it’s become so common that we’ve stopped questioning it. And actresses aren’t safe from this judgement either. If an actor like Triptii Dimri, with her calibre to do a movie like Qala, chooses to do a movie like Animal or Bad Newz, suddenly the audience thinks she has lost her ability to be an actor.

Her acting is no longer the focus instead, it is her clothes and any intimate scenes in the movie, while all she did is diversify her work portfolio. Nobody wants to be stuck in a box, and Triptii Dimri is no different. As an actor, why should she only do artsy films like Qala, not commercial and fun films like Bad Newz? Like everyone else, she also deserves to explore her skills as a professional actor rather than being stereotyped. Imagine if you stuck to your corporate job all your life with no new goals or growth in mind. Sucks, right?

The question is — will a male actor be held to the same standards and judgment? An actor like Vicky Kaushal did a Masaan or a Sardar Udham as well as a Bad Newz, yet his skills are never called into question. Instead, he has been receiving so much appreciation for his hot gym bod and making us go tauba tauba (don’t lie, I know you’ve watched it on repeat). So, why is his equally stunning co-star questioned and judged for experimenting with her roles onscreen?

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