#BigStory! Will Bollywood do away with intimate scenes post Covid?

It is too early to discuss the aftermath of the pandemic at a time when the second wave continues to rage across the nation. But the unprecedented situation has forced businesses to plan for the inevitable imposition of Covid protocols as part of operational procedures, once things open up. Though the film industry now sits locked up at home, twiddling thumbs and waiting for better days, it is a given that even after shoots resume, things won’t be the same anymore.Besides the mandatory Covid tests and sanitisation measures, it seems likely that scenes, too, will be altered to ensure social distancing between actors. But where does that leave intimate sequences?
Unless filmmakers plan to go back to flower-kissing days of yore--which in itself would be an eyebrow and hair-raising tale--shooting for intimate scenes might become a thing of the past till the spread of the virus is completely arrested. But is Bollywood willing to sacrifice what it cashed in on during the turn of the century and continues to milk today, even if not as extensively? Or are they working their way around to suggest what they can’t show by making tweaks to the script? We spoke to writers, filmmakers, actors, and intimacy coordinators to get a better picture of what a post-Covid intimate scene in a film would look like, and here’s what they had to say:

Insisting that everything is hypothetical till films go back on the floors again, Amit Behl, General Secretary of CINTAA is now considering hiring an intimacy coordinator to formulate a set of rules keeping in mind the pandemic. However, he also stresses the importance of on-field implementation. “The content is going bolder, and now, with the pandemic, it is crucial to take into account the vaccination status of the actors involved in an intimate scene before shooting it. But this will have to be done on a case-to-case basis with discussions with the DoPs, writers, and directors; as an association, it will be difficult to ascertain the situation unique to every set. An intimacy coordinator will be as integral a part of films as stunt choreographers or costume designers,” he predicts.

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt is of the same opinion. “There are various levels of intimacy. In a safe bio-bubble, holding hands or embracing might not be dangerous, but a kiss would be avoided. I don’t think there should be any regulation; it really depends on individual actors, directors, and what precautions they take. If they are not careful enough, even a normal scene can be dangerous for an actor, because they are without masks,’’ he asserts.

Given how important their role is to being made out to be, how do intimacy coordinators think post-Covid films would treat intimacy? Manisha Basu didn’t have to sweat over such questions when she was consulting for ‘Seasons Greetings’ at a time when Covid was just a bunch of illegible letters. “Now, we have made it compulsory to get a Covid test done for the actors involved in an intimate scene, not more than 72 hours prior to the shoot,” informs Manisha, adding, “Unless it’s important for the scene, we are avoiding liplocks to ensure maximum safety. While the shoot of such scenes hasn’t been reduced, the protocols have doubled”.

Writer Juhi Chaturvedi, who has scripted films such as ‘Vicky Donor’, ‘Piku’, ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ grins sheepishly as she admits it is ‘relaxing’ to watch on-screen intimacy like the scenes in her year-end watch, ‘Bridgerton’ that explores the lives of eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family in London high society. “However, if you are planning to shoot it, the answer is a NO that is as big and bright as a neon sign. Everything can wait,” she says with an air of finality. However, she does have a solution to the dilemma. “One must not forget that intimacy is not just a physical act. Fulfilling, meaningful conversations can make a relationship fulfilling and intimate as well. Words can provide warmth as much as a hug,” she smiles.

However, contrary to Juhi’s suggestion, screenwriter Sanjay Chauhan thinks it is impossible to interpret intimacy in a film any differently. “We cannot possibly go back to the olden days where they used flowers meeting to depict a kissing scene,” he laughs.

Actress Mahie Gill, too, thinks that in times like these, intimacy should be avoided as the safety of individuals is more important. “It should not be a big deal to alter scripts or change the storyline keeping everybody's safety in mind. There are creative methods to do it. I would personally not entertain such scenes,” she affirms.

But not everyone agrees with Mahie. Actress Kavita Radheshyam feels that romance is an integral part of entertainment and can’t be done away with. “I will surely do romantic scenes, if they are required in my content, with all necessary precautions. Entertainment includes everything--action, horror, thriller, romance, erotica. People are not dying from kissing, smooching, or intimacy; they are dying from coronavirus. Let's remember that,” she says rather matter-of-factly.

Intimacy coordinator Aastha Khanna, however, outright clarifies that everyone who steps out during Covid times is aware of the risks of doing so. She also feels that intimate scenes are only as risky as any other scene because the actors anyway come in close proximity with each other while shooting and don’t wear masks. “Even in pre-Covid times, consent of an actor was mandatory before an intimate scene. And now, with the outbreak, if an actor doesn’t feel comfortable they can opt out of it,” she points out, adding that in India, we don’t really do intimate scenes like the West. “Here it is more implied and doesn’t involve simulated sex. Intimacy in our feature films usually revolves around kissing. Implied intimacy is easy to stage with methods like staggering and masking such that an impression of intimacy is suggested without actual contact. Another way to achieve this is by recruiting the actor’s spouse as a body double for a scene, or, if it is a film that requires a lot of intimacy, to sign up actor-couples,” she suggests.
However, in the same breath, Aastha also recalls how, in the brief interim between the two Covid waves, things had gone back to normal. “There are mandatory antigen tests on the day of the shoot and everyone stays in the bubble but on the sets, it’s not much different,” she concludes.