’Nudity is Divine’

Says aspiring actress Kristna Saikia, who has modelled in the buff and feels it's time Indians accepted the beauty of a nude figure

'Nudity is Divine'

Says aspiring actress Kristna Saikia, who has modelled in the buff and feels it's time Indians accepted the beauty of a nude figure

She could be the next Indira Varma, the Hollywood actress of Indian origin who gave a boost to the collective male libido with her artistic skin-show in Mira Nair's Kamasutra back in 1997.

Kristna Saikia, a model-turned-actress, aspires to do what no Indian actor after Varma has even attempted take on-screen nudity beyond pulp erotica.

Saikia, who is skin-comfortable and proud of her luscious curves, wants to expose Bollywood and the Indian audience to the sublime art of nudity. And announces she is ready to bare it all.

"Nude art is emotive rather than erotic. I am very comfortable with my body and won't mind posing in the buff if the film script demands so and the skin-show is justified. Also, the scene has to be picturised artistically. But I will stay within the perimeter of Indian culture and won't hurt the sentiment of the Indian audience," said 23-year-old Saikia.

Raw beauty

Saikia, who has posed nude and in the semi-nude for several advertising campaigns and artistic photoshoots, feels she is bestowed with a divine blessing. "Nudity is divine. I am inspired by Lord Shiva's cosmic movements.

When I pose in the nude, I feel I am going beyond the conscious state and connecting with celestial bodies and Nature," said Saikia, who has worked with fashion photographer Yatin Dandekar and practices tarot card reading and angel therapy, based on the notion that communicating with angels is the key to healing, to refresh her soul.

Natural grace

Having experimented with theatre, Saikia says her natural talent for nude art was discovered by photographers and colleagues. "While shooting for print advertisements, photographers and colleagues realised my body curves spontaneously and looks aesthetic even without clothes. It was then that I started working on it. I don't hesitate to shoot in the semi-nude or nude because I think it is a connection between the soul and body. I want whatever I do can be appreciated even by a child. I want to be sensual, not sexual," said Saikia.

Family support

Not embarrassed by her nude work, Saikia says her family has always supported her. "I have never been embarrassed by my work or harassed. My family, especially my mother, has always appreciated my work. She tells me I should give 100 per cent to whatever I do."

About marriage, Saikia says she hopes to meet a liberal man who understands her work. "I haven't thought of marriage yet. It's not on the cards for at least five to six years. But I will marry someone who understands me and is not narrow minded."

Bollywood calling

Saikia is waiting to make her Bollywood debut with director Rajiv Gupta's Molly, which tells the true story of an orphan girl, who is so ambitious that she can go to any extent to realise her dreams. Saikia plays a seductress who unleashes her sensuality to influence people and situations.

In her second movie Everything Out of Control, she plays a Good Samaritan and rescues friends. Saikia says the spiritually inclined character is quite close to her life as she too helps friends haunted by 'spirits'.

Tough job
Saikia says posing in the nude artistically is not as easy as it looks.

"I listen to the concept of the shoot and then improvise on it. I give my best to the shot and then check it later. I am careful about the people I work with and choose only those with whom my thoughts match."