The rise of intimacy coaches
However, when Director Ram Kamal Mukherjee explained to me the need for an intimacy coordinator and how popular such a role is in Hollywood, I found it quite intriguing and immediately agreed to take this up as a challenge. What transpired later was a highly satisfactory experience and a hunger to learn more about such a crucial role in today’s cinema,” says Basu.
Aastha Khanna, a ‘certified’ intimacy co-ordinator, who was earlier working as an AD, taking care of intimate scenes between Ayushmann Khurrana and Radhika Apte in Andhadhun, says that a certified job means understanding a lot of things and also using props.
“Seasons Greetings had an Intimacy Supervisor. The roles of an intimacy coordinator and intimacy supervisor are fundamentally the same; the difference lies in the certification and specific training the IC has to go through, that make them more equipped to deal with the most unique situations that come up while shooting scenes of intimacy. These unique situations require sensitivity, especially when it entails dealing with the entire cast and crew, and it is important that the intimacy supervisor be properly trained and qualified to handle unique situations where it becomes necessary to ensure consent Aastha.
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FIRST-PERSON ACCOUNTS
On how she got into the job, Aastha says, “I was working as an Assistant Director till 2020. In one film there was an intimacy scene, and I encountered some challenges while working on it. So I started reading up on intimacy and how to shoot it, and I came across intimacy coordinators. I read up on the job role, and how there are intimacy coordinators in almost all other film industries in the world. I was surprised that this was not practiced in India. Given our culture and stigmas, the constant challenges that our scripts, our filmmakers and actors face, I felt it was an absolute necessity that this be brought into the culture of films in India. Therefore, I took it up to become a certified intimacy coordinator.”
“I’m whole heartedly dedicated to the idea of using intimacy in a film when it is necessary to the story. My objective is to meet the vision of the director; and if the scenes are shot tastefully, choreographed well, actors feel safe while shooting it, and directors attain their vision, that is my purpose fulfilled,” says Aastha. She shares that it gladdens her that people in India have reached a point where intimacy isn’t something to be shied away from, but used as an essential tool in telling a story that demands it.
For Basu, despite not being a certified professional — understanding the actors was important for the film directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee.
marked the comeback of Celina Jaitley after her marriage. Azhar Khan was relatively new in the film fraternity. So I had to sit with them separately and explain the scene in detail — make them understand the camera angles, the choreography, and what was expected of them. Both Celina and Azhar turned out to be thorough professionals and portrayed the scene with ease”
—MANISHA BASU, a choreographer who later trained as Intimacy Corodinator
“Season’s Greetings marked the comeback of Celina Jaitley after her marriage, so for her this scene was very challenging to portray on screen. On the other hand, Azhar Khan was relatively new in the film fraternity. I had to sit with them separately and explain the scene in detail. All the useful information that I had gained from the director helped me make them understand the camera angles, the choreography, and what was expected of them. I was lucky that both Celina and Azhar turned out to be thorough professionals and portrayed the scene with ease,” says Basu.
Mrinal Dutt, who had some intimate scenes, including kissing scenes,with his male costar Satyadeep Mishra in the Ekta Kapoor Alt Balaji show His Storyy, feels, “It is best to have an expert coming in; and having an intimacy co-ordinator makes sense. One, it will be done technically right and it will also look aesthetic; otherwise some scenes do go all over the place. They are doing it so well now in the West and it is a great idea to have such co-ordinators come in and ensure that such scenes are done responsibly and they look good on screen too.”
The IC provides an important safety net for performers that
respects the boundaries of actors and helps shape their characters emotionally and physically. When there is a sense of safety and communication, actors feel brave enough to
engage creatively in the making of intimacy scenes