3 min readNew DelhiApr 25, 2026 03:35 PM IST
When 7 Khoon Maaf released in 2011, it made headlines not just for its box office numbers but also for Priyanka Chopra’s widely praised performance. However, even before its release, the film had already sparked controversy after Annu Kapoor claimed at an event that Priyanka had initially refused to kiss him because he wasn’t a “hero” or conventionally good-looking. Although the scene ultimately remained in the film, the remark triggered widespread debate around female comfort and beauty standards in the industry.
Now, nearly 15 years later, Annu Kapoor has revisited the controversy, clarifying what led him to make that statement and attributing it to repeated questioning by journalists.
Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, the actor said, “What else could it be? More than my looks, the problem was that I am not a hero. I don’t really know. When we worked together in the Vishal Bhardwaj film Saat Khoon Maaf, several journalists kept asking me if Priyanka refused to kiss me. This was around 16 years ago. During one such interaction, someone asked me why she didn’t kiss me, and I replied, ‘That’s her wish.’ Woh baar baar puch rahe the aur mai jhujhula ke bola (They kept pestering me, and I eventually got irritated and said, ‘Maybe she would have if I was a star.’)”
ALSO READ | Prabhas’ Darling re-release marred by violence, fan brutally beaten in viral video
He added, “It never made a difference to me. I was unbothered. Vishal Bhardwaj told me she was hesitant to kiss me. I used to call her ‘beta’ as I had bonded well with her father on set. After winning Miss World, she had come to Antakshari. So when I was told she wasn’t comfortable, I said, ‘That makes sense.’ I even suggested removing the scene, but Vishal refused. We had to go ahead with it. Actors can’t appear uncomfortable on camera, so we did the scene professionally.”
In the film, Annu Kapoor played one of the husbands of Priyanka Chopra’s character. Loosely based on Ruskin Bond’s story Susanna’s Seven Husbands, the film also featured Irrfan Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Alexander Dyachenko.
Back in 2011, Priyanka Chopra had strongly reacted to Annu Kapoor’s remarks. “If he wants to do intimate scenes and pass such cheap comments, then he should do those kinds of films. Such scenes were never part of our film. I’m very irritated. I don’t think unko aisa kehna shobha deta hai (saying such things doesn’t suit him at all). I don’t think he knew that his comments would upset me, but they really did. It was very wrong of him to speak the way he did,” she had said.
Story continues below this ad
Annu Kapoor had originally claimed that Priyanka refused to do an intimate scene with him because he was “not good looking” or a hero, adding, “She doesn’t have a problem doing intimate scenes with heroes. If talent goes out of the window, I guess you just need to be good looking.”
