Kartik Aaryan explains the role of intimacy co-ordinators, Diljit Dosanjh looks confused: ‘Aisa bhi hota hai?’

Actor Diljit Dosanjh was rather perplexed after Kartik Aaryan explained the role of intimacy co-ordinators in cinema. During the Round Table with Rajeev Masand, several actors including Rajkummar Rao, Shefali Shah, Tripti Dimri, Vijay Varma, Kartik Aaryan and Tillotama Shome discussed various subjects including complicated dialogues, career choices and shooting kissing scenes.

In the promo video, Tillotama asks the actors, “How do you guys feel about shooting nudity and kissing scenes?” Kartik Aaryan, who has shot several kissing scenes of late, instantly responded, “Very comfortable, and very  good with it.” At this point, Tahir Raj Bhasin interjected and asked, “Have you shot with an intimacy co-ordinator?” Kartik answered, “Yes I have.” He went on to explain what intimacy co-ordinators are, “For example if a kissing scene is happening, in that sequence, they explain how much you should kiss, and how much you should refrain.” At this point Triptii laughed at Diljit Dosanjh’s expressions, and he said, “Aisa bhi hota hai?”

This year, Shakun Batra’s Gehraiyaan, featuring Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi in the lead roles, made news for featuring intimacy co-ordinators. In an interview to Indian Express, Indian-Ukranian Dar Gai, an intimacy director, explained the process and how they had to get the cast comfortable with each other. “With progress on mental health, we realise that there are so many different things than can bother us as a person. There are also so many different techniques that we can explore to make us feel comfortable. Intimacy direction is more like choreography—you have to come on stage and perform. You’re always uncomfortable and you don’t know what will happen, you don’t know if your body will be ready,” she had said, explaining the necessity of workshops and constant exercises for the actors to create a safe zone.