Rakhi Sawant is More Than a Spectacle
Bollywood made her a punchline. The internet made her an icon. But neither gave her the one thing she truly wanted.
In the second season of celebrity talk show Koffee with Karan (2007), host Karan Johar sits before guest Rakhi Sawant, clad in a shimmery sari. Unlike prior guests — who have included the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Amitabh Bachchan — she spoke in Hindi not English, wept, and was, in Johar’s words, “the first honest celebrity.” When Johar asked whether she had gotten any work done, she leaned forward and quipped, “Jo cheez bhagwan nahi deta woh doctor deta hai.” What God doesn’t give you, a doctor can.
Her offhand comment barged into pop culture lore, erupting with the intensity of a long-held secret finally let out. Actors have been getting “help” from doctors for years but would pass it off as “dieting” or “going to the gym.” Since then, she has celebrated her divorce by calling the paparazzi and dancing like a bride, referred to herself as “India’s Angelina Jolie,” and called herself “bhelpuri” compared to her “pasta” peers (spicy, delicious, and “desi” instead of Western and bland). In recent years, she’s gone from Bollywood pariah to pop culture icon, but in all the years people spent watching, mocking, and eventually celebrating her, they failed to notice one crucial thing.