If you are wondering if the Maldives suddenly seems to be more Bollywood than Mumbai itself, you are not off the mark. Indians are jetting off to the island nation in great numbers to escape the restrictions brought on by the Covid pandemic. And leading the bandwagon are none other than our very own Bollywood celebrities, who have made this island their videshi Alibaug.
Visits from India to the Maldives have seen a 50 per cent jump since last year, with around 44,000 Indian tourists traveling to the South Asian nation in the first two months of the year. And with Bollywood and television stars promoting it with their endless vacay pictures, it has turned into the new Goa.
And the best Maldives picture award goes to…
With the sandy paradise teeming with Bollywood celebrities, it is only fair to argue that an exclusive award category, or in fact an entire award show, can be dedicated to the pictures clicked in the Maldives. The categories, you ask?
From ‘Best pool look’, ‘Best water baby’, ‘Best cycling videos’, to ‘Best reels’ — the possibilities are endless. Taapsee Pannu’s ‘Biggini shoot’ video already went viral and can easily get away with the ‘Best IG post’ – Critics choice’.
For the ‘Most sunkissed’ category, there are many contenders — be it Janhvi Kapoor who recently joined the Maldives bandwagon, or Shraddha Kapoor who is currently on her third trip to the island in two months. We must not forget Sara Ali Khan, who could probably get an award for ‘Best family pics’ considering the number of times she’s spotted in the nation of islands with her brother, Ibrahim.
‘Best breakfast in the pool’ category has a lot of contenders too. From Sonakshi Sinha to Kajal Aggarwal, who knew breakfast could be so fashionable?
And of course, the extremely popular ‘Best pool/ water baby lewk’. This one is a bit crowded with our Bollywood divas and hunks probably adding to global warming with the pictures they put up. From Tiger Shroff, Varun Dhawan to Tara Sutaria and Mouni Roy, one is a bit spoilt for choice.
Also read: Madhuri, Deepika, Gauhar — How everyone in Bollywood is getting the same PR tip
How to have a ‘solo trip’ with your significant other
Remember college or ‘official’ trips where you wanted to holiday with your significant other, and had to pretend to your parents that you were alone. ‘Unofficial’ dating has always existed in Bollywood, where celebrities who are very obviously dating would declare that they are ‘just good friends’.
Kiara Advani went with her rumoured beau Siddharth Malhotra to the Maldives, and did not share any photos that had both of them in a single frame. She insisted she had clicked her own pictures, never mind that the two were supported spotted? at the Mumbai airport returning from the Maldives.
We also need training to capture this quality of self-portraits, Kiara!
Speaking of ‘solo’ vacations, Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani seem to take a lot of them, and curiously at the exact same place and time. Shroff’s Maldives vacation in 2020 raised the temperature.
And finally, the ‘Best Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara recreated’ award with underwater images:
And not to be left behind are the Gen Z heartthrobs Tara Sutaria and Aadar Jain, who also did not share any photos together.
But it does seem like they both happen to love the same background for clicking their ‘solo’ pictures in the Maldives. And also returned to Mumbai together.
If Bollywood does it, can TV stars be far behind?
It is not just Bollywood stars who have made the Maldives their personal haven. TV celebrity Hina Khan has also gone the Maldives way with her partner and family.
Another prominent TV actor, Rithvik Dhanjani, too, graced the islands with his fellow actor Surbhi Jyoti.
The Maldives bug is clearly as infectious and contagious as Covid-19, considering the boost in the number of people bitten by it. The country is clearly not complaining because it is earning a significant amount of revenue thanks to our entertainment industry’s pandemic-induced affinity to it. Thanks to the travel bubble agreement between India and the Maldives, and comparatively relaxed Covid protocols, we now can safely say that the Maldives is here to stay on our Instagram newsfeed — no matter the Covid super surge in Maharashtra.
Views are personal.
I think u wrote this article because u had no choice because livelihood depends on writing articles asked to be wriiten by the authorities , otherwise I presume u have the conscience to see how posting such pics on social media is insensitive when the fans’ families are in trouble.
Print is one place where I escape from these Indian celebrity hollowness to read thoughtful articles. Please don’t disappoint. Increasingly these pampered lot are source of more irritation than fun. I hope ThePrint is able to create a different business model than the rest.
Wow, such a great read. Also, check out bollywoodhush.com for insider info on the entertainment industry.
Such a shame!!….We have beaches like this in the Lakshadweep and A&N islands!!…. Why is the Govt not promoting these?!….Eco tourism from the base up is possible,. Imagine the potential, Cruise services, high end tourism, foreign exchange revenue…..
Why is all strategy only military?…. What is the strategy for tourism in the Lakshadweep?!
I really thought this article would be satirical, or just plain dismissive of star power. But actually informing us of where and when stars vacationed doesn’t go well with the image of The Print. Please avoid becoming another Times of India.