"Are we going to use tongue in this?"
Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has opened up about the challenges of shooting intimate scenes on screen.
Bhardwaj has directed one of the segments in the anthology Lust Stories 3.
That particular segment stars real-life couple Siddharth and Aditi Rao Hydari in lead roles.
He recently spoke about the process of filming intimate scenes for the anthology.
Bhardwaj highlighted the importance of having an intimacy director present on the film set.
He described the presence of an intimacy director on set as “incredible” for filmmakers.
He explained that such a presence liberates the filmmaker during the shoot.
According to him, it also makes intimate scenes much more comfortable to shoot overall.
Bhardwaj admitted that things were quite different before intimacy directors became common on sets.
He said that shooting such scenes could often become awkward for everyone involved earlier.
Bhardwaj also said that intimacy directors now “make life comfortable on set” for the entire team.
Recalling an old instance, he spoke about the awkwardness that existed before this practice began.
“I remember actresses coming to me and asking, ‘Sir, are we going to use tongue in this? Can you ask the male actor?’
“I mean, it’s very odd. I did ask the actor her question.”
He further said: “Can you imagine how awkward that would be?”
Apart from the intimacy director, another factor made shooting Lust Stories 3 easier for Bhardwaj.
He was directing real-life couple Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth in an intimate segment together.
Bhardwaj admitted that the two actors were extremely comfortable with each other while shooting.
In one particular instance, the couple even refused to use body doubles for a scene.
He shared: “They were very comfortable with each other, of course, you know, because they are husband and wife.
“So 50% of that awkwardness went away. “We had doubles for both of them.
“So in one shot, you know, we had the camera on her legs, and Siddharth had to crawl.”
He recalled that Aditi reacted the moment she saw the shot involving the body double.
“When Aditi saw it, she said, ‘But my legs are not so fat.’”
Bhardwaj shared that Aditi then insisted on performing that particular shot herself.
Siddharth also stepped in to perform his own part instead of relying on a double.
Lust Stories 3 marks the third instalment of the popular Netflix anthology franchise.
The anthology features four different stories helmed by four different directors this time.
These directors include Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj himself.
Together, the stories explore different aspects of love, relationships, desire and intimacy.
The anthology also features several other prominent actors across its four segments.
These include Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vijay Varma, Ali Fazal and Radhika Madan.
The film continues Netflix’s tradition of exploring bold and intimate storytelling through this franchise.
