back when we collectively hate-watched the Bastards of Bollywood, i think we all agreed that casting Emraan Hashmi as an Intimacy Coordinator was a cultural win.
if you haven't watched it, the Bastards of Bollywood is Shah Rukh Khan’s sons glorious directorial debut. on a very generous level, it's a devastating meta critique of the incestuous cult that is the state of the industry in India. and on another, it's a pretty straightforward love story. a rising star is cast in a movie with a nepo-baby as a publicity stunt after he calls her out as a nepo-baby in a round table interview. Emraan Hashmi is hired as an ‘Intimacy Coordinator’ for this project, and they do, of course, share vulnerabilities and become closer in the process. which is almost synonymous with love. almost.
if you Google Intimacy Coordinators in India you get a list of a handful of trained practitioners. the only movies that report having an IC on board are indie ventures and OTT releases. which is funny cuz it should be easier for the mainstream theatrical releases to afford one.
it's fun to think of an Intimacy Coordinator kinda like a Stunt Coordinator? and as any tabloid is happy to report, there are times when on-screen intimacy can be, in fact, a sort of publicity stunt for the relationship of the actors off-screen. but an Intimacy Coordinator’s job is to make on-screen intimacy more authentic, unlike popular rhetoric.
the stuff Emraan Hashmi makes the two fools do are ridiculously stupid and makes the job the butt of a bad joke, but it's excused cuz they don't really ever kiss. they find out they're half-siblings instead. 😊.
but let's talk about Emraan Hashmi, our beloved Serial Kisser.
Emraan Hashmi comes from a pre Me Too time when ICs could barely be imagined. Murder, Raaz, Zeher, all these movies that catapulted him to fame, capitalised on the intimate scenes very hard. in Emraan’s words, he ‘juiced’ the role until he didn't want to anymore. or well, until he didn't need to anymore.
that sex sells is hardly news but it didn't stop the Heated Rivalry costars from getting it tattooed on their legs.
but my point is, isn't typecasting him like that so unfair to the specifity of each kiss? the kiss is about the characters, not the actors. we're watching because of who the characters are, and the specific tensions of their relationship- that makes the kiss.
but anyway, the real highlight of the show is the sidekick, Raghav Juyal’s passionate admiration of Emraan Hashmi. now that is chemistry even an Intimacy Coordinator couldn't create.
curious about the specificity of a specific kiss
very informative