Indian actress Khushboo sues men's magazine

An Indian actress, who sparked outrage by saying Indians should not expect brides to be virgins, is suing the Indian edition of a British men's magazine for publishing a photograph of her face superimposed on the body of a scantily dressed woman, her lawyer said Friday.

Photo: Indian actress Khushboo sues men's magazine

Khushboo, who uses one name, has sent a legal notice to the publishers and editors of Maxim's Indian edition, asking them to pay 30 million rupees (US$670,000; 560,000) in compensation, said R. Karthikeyan, her lawyer. According to the notice, sent last Friday, a defamation suit will be filed if the magazine does not reply within three weeks, Karthikeyan said.

The photograph, which appeared in the publication's inaugural Indian edition in January, showed a woman in a transparent bra and panties and was clearly doctored and stamped with the message "100 percent fake." A quote beneath the photograph declared her a virgin, but made clear she was no sexual innocent.

The magazine later apologized, but Khushboo insisted that damage had been done and the magazine must pay for it. Last month, Khushboo told The Associated Press that Maxim's publishers probably thought she was an easy target after she made headlines in September for telling another magazine that society needs to rid itself of the expectation that brides be virgins.

She later apologized for the remarks, which offended sections of this deeply conservative society. Local editions of Western magazines are increasingly common in India , though sexual content is scaled back for more conservative Indian readers. Karthikeyan said the notice was sent to six persons associated with the Indian edition of Maxim, including its publisher Xavier Collaco, reports the AP.

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