I’ll give the kiss a miss

SRK’s too shy to do it and so is Ayesha Takia. And they’re not the only ones who’ve got their lips sealed.
Just when you thought liplocks had become common in Bollywood, you have a host of Bollywood stars shying away from them. True, Bollywood’s come a long way since its days of two flowers signifying a smooch, but not all actors are ready to go the Mallika Sherawat way.

What’s more, it’s not just the gals who are pucker-shy either. Actor Jimmy Shergill, for instance, recently refused to kiss co-star Nandana Sen while shooting for Strangers. Even actor Emraan Hashmi, once known as the ‘serial kisser’ isn’t living up to the title any more. Last seen kissing in Gangster, the actor now wants to be known for his histrionics rather than his kisses.

Many like Hashmi feel kissing scenes trivialise their performances, often grabbing more eyeballs than the rest of the film. Some actors like Abhay Deol have also admitted that a kiss is mostly used to tantalise the audience. Also, other than the piercing gaze of spotboys, technicians and crew members, there are quite a few practical problems of shooting a kissing scene. Says actor Tusshar Kapoor, who hasn’t yet kissed in films, “Most of the time you’re not attracted to the co-star you’re doing an intimate scene with. But you have to do your job.

And if there’s sleaze on the director’s mind, then the actress might feel uncomfortable. Most often, it’s the director’s vision and not the co-actor that makes it uncomfortable.”

Until recently, a kiss was a ticket to fame for newbies and struggling actresses awaiting a break. And they would kiss and tell, getting media attention in the bargain. Think Tanisha, whose endless kisses in Neal ’n’ Nikki are her claim to fame, or even Koena Mitra whose steamy kiss with Fardeen Khan in Ek Hasina Ek Khiladi got her noticed. But the present group of new entrants like Tulip Joshi, Amrita Arora, Geeta Basra, Tara Sharma, Udita Goswami and Tanushree Dutta refuse to pucker up. Some, like Ayesha Takia and Tulip Joshi, have even passed up plum offers, sticking to their stance on on-screen kisses. Takia told BT in an interview that she couldn’t accept Nagesh Kukoonoor’s film as it required her to kiss. Tulip, meanwhile, managed to talk her director out of a kissing scene in a forthcoming film. Says Tulip, “Hostel had a kissing scene. But I convinced my director to do away with it. Of course, it doesn’t always work that way.”

Why be shy though? Tanushree Dutta says it’s because she would find it embarrassing to face her parents if she kissed on-screen. Actor Ritiesh Deshmukh maintains a no-kissing policy to safeguard his father Chief Minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh’s image. Salman Khan too has expressed his strong reservations against kissing. As for married actresses, and even ones in serious relationships, the partner’s disapproval is a deterrant to being kiss-happy. Abhishek Bachchan was reportedly upset about the Ash-Hrithik kiss in Dhoom 2. But refusing to kiss is mostly a personal choice, maintain many actors. Says Tulip, “My boyfriend is very secure and it’s got nothing to do with him. It’s very personal. I don’t mind suggestive intimate scenes, but I’ve always been particular about not kissing.”

SOurce: timesofindia.indiatimes.com