Dear Mr. Parrikar – What terms is Playboy in Goa?

Goa, November 1, 2012: Adult entertainment company Playboy is to open its first club in India but its iconic bunnies will not be nude. Instead they will receive a demure makeover for the local market. The club will open by mid-December on north Goa’s Candolim beach, Playboy (PB) Lifestyle chief Sanjay Gupta said. It will be the first beach location for Playboy globally.

Playboy, along with several other adult magazines, is banned in India under its obscenity laws. PB Lifestyle, the Indian firm with rights to the Playboy brand, plans to set up eight Playboy Clubs over three years and have 120 clubs, bars and cafes in 10 years. The Goa club will have 22,000 sq ft of space.

Playboy bunnies are usually dressed in a corset with a fluffy rabbit tail and ears, but Mr Gupta said the costume would be adapted to suit India’s conservative values. “Bunnies are an integral part of Playboy clubs,” news agency AFP quoted him as saying.
“For the obvious reasons of Indian morality and sensibilities, we can’t follow the traditional costumes that Playboy bunnies are associated with.”

Mr Gupta said the new outfits would be revealed at the club’s launch. Recently, Bollywood’s Sherlyn Chopra became the first Indian to pose naked for Playboy. Ms Chopra will appear in the magazine’s November issue.

– bbc