Maushmi Udeshi has recently shot a TV commercial for a condom brand, which, she says, “is clearly about women empowerment.� The ad will air next month and shows Maushmi coming out of the sea, drenched in a transparent white sari.

Forbidden fruit

Her co-model in the ad, TV actor Gaurav Khanna (currently seen as Juhi and Hussain’s son in Kumkum), is seen lying on the beach. Maushmi comes to him and wipes the sweat from his forehead with her pallu.
Reveals Maushmi.

“He puts his hand on me but I start to go away. Suddenly, I see the condoms near him. I smile shyly and we embrace.�

“The commercial clearly says that a woman should succumb to her desire only if adequate precautions for safe sex are taken. When I turn my back on Gaurav initially, it suggests that sexual desire can even wane if condoms are not used,� she adds.

Shot in Goa

The ad, directed by Ravi Deshpande, was shot over two days at a deserted beach in Goa, last week. “There was nobody on the beach, except a few firangs. I think it’s perfect for lovers, provided they know it exists,� laughs Maushmi.

The actress says, “Despite the secluded environment, I couldn’t change on the beach. So I was constantly wearing the same drenched sari. “Goa was so hot that being in the water was a big relief.�

Initially, Maushmi refused the ad. “The manufacturers came to me about three months ago; they wanted me to wear a bikini and weren’t paying too well. This time around, they said the concept had changed and I could go ahead with a sari.

The money was revised, and they convinced me I was doing something for society’s awareness on AIDS and unwanted pregnancies. I consulted my mother and agreed to do the ad. It’s been done very aesthetically.�