Hindi cinema has long treated intimate scenes as a matter of trust between performer and director. A small but growing group of intimacy coordinators is rewriting that understanding with choreography, consent conversations and physical safeguards.
The shift follows the #MeToo movement and the rise of streaming platforms, which have pushed Indian screen storytelling into more explicit territory. Aastha Khanna, one of the coordinators working across Bollywood, compares the role to a stunt director.
“We map out exactly where the hand goes and where the hair goes so nothing is left to awkward improvisation,” Khanna said.
Choreography begins before casting
Khanna said coordinators are usually hired before casting begins, so actors know intimate scenes are in the script before they sign on. That turns consent from an on-set conversation into a pre-signing decision.
On set, practitioners carry modesty tools that reduce unnecessary physical contact:
- Crotch guards
- Nipple pasties
- Doughnut cushions that keep distance between performers
Streaming shifted the field
For decades, censorship and government guidelines kept most physical intimacy off Bollywood screens; kissing and consummation were conveyed through flowers, waves or fire. The Amazon Prime Video release Gehraiyaan, backed by Karan Johar in 2022, became one of the first mainstream Hindi productions to formalise intimacy direction. Khanna established boundaries and choreographed scenes, while intimacy coach Neha Vyaso conducted workshops on physical dynamics and consent.
“There’s much less censorship and more openness to stories that explore taboo subjects,” Vyaso said.
The crime drama Mirzapur began without coordinators. Actor Rasika Dugal said the early seasons forced actors to navigate boundaries based on personal comfort. “It is very important to have intimacy coordinators so nobody is violated in any way and everyone’s concerns are properly taken care of,” she said.
A standard still waiting to be written
Khanna cited instances where an actor kissed a co-star without consent. “We ensure that none of this happens in the flow,” she said. Still, only just over a dozen intimacy coordinators work across India’s film and television industries, and no formal guidelines require productions to hire them.
Many commercial blockbusters have little scope for the role because major stars often avoid explicit physical intimacy; some experienced directors still manage scenes themselves. But Khanna argues the role extends far beyond simulated sex to violence, dominance, harassment and nudity.
“The work that I do mitigates a situation where a person may go through several years of therapy and the scar may not heal,” she said.
Industry bodies may eventually write standards. Until then, hiring an intimacy coordinator remains a production-by-production choice.
Source: The New Indian Express
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