Can Ottamthullal work out in a Mumbai dance bar: Prithviraj on item dance in 'Lucifer'

The Mohanlal-starrer Lucifer was a grand success at the box office and it's waves can still be felt there. Although the movie was appreciated for his making style and brilliant performances, it was also caught in the storm for the item dance. The song 'Raftaara' featured actress and model Waluscha De Sousa grooving in a dance bar in Mumbai.

While the high-on-energy dance number synced well with the narration of the movie, some felt that a few shots in the song were objectifying the actress.

Recently, talking to a daily, Prithviraj opened up on the flak stating that people seem to have drawn a wrong understanding about it. “What really happens in a dance bar in Mumbai? It would have been really odd if I staged ottamthullal in that setting,” Prithviraj responded. 

Earlier, Prithviraj was praised for apologizing for the misogyny in the films he acted. He was the first Malayalam actor to publicly apologise for mouthing misogynistic dialogues in his movies, the actor also promised that never again in his films will he allow women to be disrespected.

When asked about his statement and his visualization in the movie, he said, “I do not understand how a dance number with women wearing glamorous outfits goes against the whole ethos of what I said of not doing or saying something that demeans women.”

Prithviraj's directorial debut Lucifer was written by Murali Gopy and starred Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Vivek Oberoi, Tovino Thomas, Indrajith in the lead roles.

The digital rights of the movie was bagged by Amazon Prime Video and the movie is being streamed online from May 16. With the existing box office numbers, Lucifer has overtaken all records by entering Rs 200 crore club.