While one may think that shooting a lovemaking scene is a rosy affair, in reality, it is never easy. Getting the aesthetics right and ensuring that the scene does not look forced or cheap, is a major challenge. In mid-2020, when we were developing Rahasya Romancha Series 3, the script demanded an intimate moment between the characters Kalo Nekre and Amrita, played efficiently by Saoli Chattopadhyay and Rooqma Ray respectively. As the series is a tribute to pulp literature, we wanted to use the element of betrayal in a strong way. We wanted to use the trope of the femme fatale and subvert it through an emotional story. Like in typical pulp literature, sex and seduction are tools used by one of the characters to manipulate the other. For the betrayal to feel real, we needed to show the intimacy between the two characters in an effective way. The first challenge was to convince the actors. I narrated the entire script to both Saoli and Rooqma, and gave them shot by shot breakdown of the minute details of the intimate scene. There were no surprises on set. Both actors knew exactly what was to be shot. We discussed each shot and camera angles and made sure that the actors knew what they were getting into. Thankfully, both Saoli and Rooqma understood the significance of the scene and cooperated fully.

(L-R) Abhirup Ghosh,Rooqma and Saoli

GETTING THE TECHNICAL DETAILS RIGHT

The second step was to get the technical details right. I worked with the art director and DoP to create the right set and ambience so as to ensure that the scene doesn’t look cheap or vulgar in any way. Our focus was on highlighting the emotions. My DoP Subhadeep Nashkar created the perfect moonlit environment to create a dreamlike state. I also had to plan in detail with our costume designer, Sandip Jaiswal, to get the costumes right. We had to ensure that both characters look sensual and not sleazy. Also, we needed to use options like pasties to ensure that our actors were protected and unnecessary wardrobe malfunctions were prevented. As these were Covid times, we had to sanitise the sets multiple times to ensure safety. Also, we ensured that the actors did not have any Covid symptoms on the day of the shoot. We also maintained all other Covid protocols, ranging from the entire cast and crew constantly wearing masks, to maintaining the required distance whenever possible.

MAKING THE ACTORS FEEL SAFE AND COMFORTABLE

On the day of the shoot, there was an air of nervousness on set, as, everyone understood the importance of getting the scene right. A lovemaking scene is always a tightrope walk — one small wrong move can make the difference between a scene being aesthetic and sleazy. Our biggest priority was to make our actors feel safe and comfortable. The entire team made sure that both Saoli and Rooqma were completely relaxed. Also, both of them being highly professional actors, were completely chilled out. As everyone knew each detail beforehand, the entire team got comfortable very fast. I ensured we had a closed set and monitors were turned. We gave the actors complete privacy and our female assistants were close by to support them. No other technicians or team members were allowed anywhere close to the set. Once the lighting was complete and the camera angles were set up, the actors were given complete privacy.

I treated the scene like an action scene and every bit was highly technical. We choreographed every move in small details and once we rolled, all the nervousness disappeared and we completed the scene in a jiffy. A lot of people believe that shooting an intimate scene must be a really exciting experience. In reality, it is a completely mechanical process. The actors too have to think and act technically and there is no real sensuality between them. We joked and laughed all through the shoot and the environment was completely relaxed and casual, making the actors’ job easier.

RECEPTION OF THE SCENE

In recent times, there has been a lot of talk about involving intimacy coordinators to shoot lovemaking scenes. While this process has started to get adapted in Hindi films, it has probably not yet been done in Bengal. Just like we involve action directors in action scenes, it would be great to have intimacy coordinators handle intimate scenes. It would probably make actors feel safer and avoid any issues. It would also take a lot of pressure away from the directorial team.

Nevertheless, we shot the intimate scene in Rahasya Romancha Series 3 without any intimacy coordinator obviously. Thankfully, we pulled it off quite well and the scene was rather well-received. The audience did not find it to be vulgar in any way and accepted it as an organic part of the story. We did not highlight the scene in any way or even use it in promotions. We also did not highlight the lesbian angle and treated the characters as two human beings. The intimate scene was treated as a normal storytelling tool. The approach was casual and nonchalant. While certain sections of Bengali audiences have been known to be very vocal against over usage of sex in OTT content, thankfully, they had no issues with this scene.

SIGNIFICANCE OF OPEN COMMUNICATION AND TRUST

In retrospect, I think what worked in favour of the scene was open communication. Not just the actors but the entire crew knew the exact details of the scene from long before the shoot day. Everyone knew what was to be shown, and more importantly, what was to be hidden. It is not easy to perform these kinds of scenes. Both Saoli and Rooqma were extremely sporting.

On the day of the shoot, they also discussed each moment in great detail and both knew exactly what the other was going to do in the scene. I feel that it is very important to be respectful to actors and make them feel that they are in charge. I not only gave a shot-by-shot breakdown of the scene from beforehand but also gave both actors edit access. I showed them the edit and gave them complete freedom to take the final edit call. If they were not comfortable with any part of the scene, they had the right to get it removed. They had complete control over the final output of the scene. However, both actors were very happy with the edit and did not ask for any changes. This shoot was quite a learning experience for me. It taught me the importance of establishing trust between all team members