Smooch ado about nothing

Bollywood may accept intimacy on screen, but A-list heroes shy away from kisses thanks to their spouses

Even while Bollywood has opened up to the idea of lip-locks on screens, with titillating scenes becoming a regular affair in movies, an open secret in the industry is that wives of the leading heroes are not exactly comfortable with their hubbies indulging in it.

A ‘happily’ married actor, known for his penchant for perfection, “No wife likes to see her man kissing another woman, even if it’s just for the camera.” Talking about an instance where he had to kiss on screen, he sighs. “When I had to do a kissing scene, I asked the director to meet my wife and take her permission. She met him and told him that she was cool with the kiss. I doubled checked with her that very night, and she still replied in the affirmative. However, after the scene was shot, she moved into the guest room, and wouldn’t talk to me for days. So, I’d advise all Indian actors to think twice before plunging into this.”

The actor is not the only one to worry about his wife’s reactions to on-screen kissing. Turns out, Ajay Devgn, who locked lips for the first time on screen in Shivaay, didn’t mention it to Kajol. The missus only found out about his kiss with Erika Kaar only after the film was complete. What upheaval ensued in the Devgn household after Ajay’s first on screen kiss is not known.

Recently, Khamoshiyan actor Gurmeet Choudhary’s wife was said to be livid after she saw the actor’s smouldering smooches for his forthcoming movie. So furious was she about the kisses with co-star Sana Khan, that the duo apparently had a massive showdown in Sri Lanka over the issue.

What’s certain is the fact that Bollywood wives are still uncomfortable with romantic scenes involving their spouses. This is also the reason why Shah Rukh Khan has an unwritten no-kissing clause. The superstar is known to have broken this clause once, just for his favourite director, Yash Chopra, in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

Imran Khan had been a prolific kisser on screen, having shared a lingering kiss with Poorna Jagannathan in Delhi Belly, before he had an unofficial embargo placed on smooches. The only exception post his wedding has been the lingering kiss he shared with Anushka Sharma in Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola, even rejecting an opportunity to share a kiss with Kangana Ranaut in Katti Batti.

Same is the case with his peer, Ayushmann Khurrana, who had hell to pay when he agreed for a lip-lock with co-star Pooja Salvi in Nautanki Saala. Ayushmann’s wife apparently wasn’t impressed. Of course, the Vicky Donor actor had to promise her that it would never happen again.

Another A-lister who has been sparse with his kisses on screen is Akshay Kumar. Even as he was ready to marry Twinkle Khanna, he had allegedly shared a kiss with Shilpa Shetty during a honeymoon sequence in Dhadkan. Owing to his nuptials, the kiss was discreetly edited out from the movie. He apparently told a friend that romance and intimacy could be expressed without kissing. The question, however, is that would he have reached this conclusion if he didn’t have a wife waiting at home