'Why the hue and cry about a swimsuit?'

Looks matter

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,” said Deepika.

Deepika, 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 Deepika.

She is looking her best in the multi-starrer comedy and says that she had to play close attention to her styling for the film.

“It was the requirement of the film to concentrate a little harder on the styling and looks departments. This is one film where I could wear bright colours, look glamourous and don fancy hair styles. Moreover, there is also an overall change in my look that comes in when you compare the first half of the film with the second half,” said Deepika.

Elaborating on the difference, she revealed, “In the first half, since I am in Italy, the look is all beachy and colourful. On the other hand in the second half when the film shifts to London, I am far more girlie and feminine. You would see a lot of subtle colours and pastel shades.

Housefull is also perhaps one of the first films where three leading ladies have got into a bikini and that too for a single shot. Did that lead to some serious competition between her, Lara Dutta and Jiah Khan? “We all knew beforehand that we had to get together in a swim wear at some point in the film. The three of us would go to gym and share notes around our diet. In fact, I remember getting salad for the other girls as well. Similarly, Lara too got some stuff for me. There was no negative energy whatsoever,” said Deepika.