Intimate encounter
Designer Nikhil Mehra makes his Bollywood debut with the upcoming film Fugly. He will
be seen in an intimate scene with
his wife Vidushi
There is a symbiotic connection between the fashion industry and Bollywood. From costumes, jewellery to inspirations, both the industries are interestingly intertwined with each other. So, it wasn’t quite a surprise that due to an interesting turn of events, designer Nikhil Mehra, from the famous fashion designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil, was approached by director Kabir Sadanand, not to design but to act!
In the upcoming movie Fugly, where Nikhil’s real- life wife Vidushi is playing an important character, Nikhil was called to perform an intimate scene. “It all happened by chance and spontaneously. We were shooting at one of the farmhouses in Delhi and Kabir informed me that I had to do an intimate scene. I wasn’t very comfortable so he then asked if my real husband would do the scene with me, without knowing who I am married to. Someone from the set shouted that I was married to fashion designer Nikhil Mehra, then Kabir got even more excited to bring Nikhil on board. At first I didn’t think Nikhil would agree for it but he was there on the sets within 20 minutes. I was so happy and relieved,” reveals Vidushi.
Nikhil follows up by adding: “Kabir and Vidushi, from the middle of the shooting, suddenly called me. After hearing Vidushi’s hesitation about performing a certain scene, I didn’t think twice. The scene completely belongs to the film and it was not something which was put there for the heck of it. The storytelling required the character to get intimate. Apart from that it turned out to be an interesting endeavour for the both of us. We had never done anything like this on screen. It was awkward, but now I think it is one of the nicest shots. It will remain a cherished memory for the rest of our lives.”
The husky voiced designer guru further shares, “I am usually the guy who is in front of the stage or on stage when it comes to my fashion shows. This was the first time I was in front of the camera and acting. So it was a completely different take on what I do.” Vidushi informs that she is playing a television journalist named Sakshi Singh in the movie. She has a deep connection with the main protagonist of the movie and her character has a few grey shades when it comes to seeking the truth. Only while shooting of an intense scene, Sadanand informed her that he wanted to bring out more flesh out of the character which she is
If you have to perform an intimate scene in front of all
the people on camera you need to
have guts of steel
playing. But did her husband secretly wish that he could’ve done an intimate scene with any other B- town hot actress? “Not at all! Oh God not at all,” strongly emphasises Nikhil. “I would never… I am too shy a person and I am not an actor, so there is no question about it. This profession is very tough. If you have to perform an intimate scene on camera in front of all the people, you have to have guts of steel and I certainly don’t have it man!”
Well, would he now like to pursue acting on the side? He says, “I have done a bit of theatre myself, but I am not a trained actor. Like I mentioned before, this profession is very tough but having said that if I come across anything which would help me display my skills of creativity in design or as a person or if something closely matches who I am in real life, then I would certainly take it up.”