As actors get more physical, Bollywood embraces intimacy coordinators

An intimacy coordinator plans and supervises scenes involving sex, nudity, kissing, harassment, violence, or dominance. The role protects actors by making physical actions specific, agreed, and repeatable. It replaces awkward improvisation with a clear process built around consent and personal boundaries.

Aastha Khanna compares the job to stunt direction. Coordinators map exactly where a hand, body, or strand of hair will go. They may also bring crotch guards, nipple pasties, and doughnut cushions. These modesty tools help performers simulate intimacy while maintaining a safer distance.

Coordinators are usually hired before casting begins. This allows actors to learn about intimate scenes before signing a project and decide whether they are comfortable. Their work is still not universal in India, but streaming productions increasingly use it as stories become more explicit and nuanced.

Bollywood productions are hiring intimacy coordinators because the industry is facing stronger expectations around consent and actor safety. The global #MeToo movement highlighted sexual exploitation in entertainment. At the same time, streaming platforms have fewer censorship limits and are commissioning stories that explore sexuality and other taboo subjects more openly.

The change is visible in productions such as Gehraiyaan, released on Amazon Prime Video in 2022. Aastha Khanna helped establish boundaries and choreograph intimate scenes, while Neha Vyaso ran workshops about physical dynamics and consent. Their separate roles created a more structured process for performers and filmmakers.

Streaming services have been the main drivers of this shift, according to industry experts quoted in the article. Still, coordinators remain uncommon, with just over a dozen across India’s film and television industries. Some industry members want film associations to create broader standards.

India’s film and television industries currently have just over a dozen intimacy coordinators, according to the article. That small number shows how new the profession remains in Bollywood. Intimacy coordinators are becoming more familiar on sets, but most productions still do not have one.

Their work includes choreographing intimate actions, establishing boundaries, protecting consent, and helping actors simulate contact safely. They can be involved before casting begins, so performers know about intimate scenes before accepting a role. Their responsibilities also cover scenes involving nudity, harassment, violence, or dominance, not only romance or sex.

The limited workforce reflects the absence of formal hiring requirements or industry-wide guidelines. Some experienced directors continue managing intimate scenes themselves, and some films proceed without dedicated coordinators. Industry members hope film associations will eventually introduce common standards, which could make this protection more consistent.

Planning intimate scenes turns uncertain physical contact into a clear sequence of agreed actions. Actors know where hands, bodies, and other movements will go. This matters because improvisation can create confusion or allow someone to cross a boundary without consent. The process also gives performers a safer way to raise concerns.

Aastha Khanna says coordinators map where the hand and hair go, much as a stunt director plans a fight. They use modesty tools, including crotch guards, nipple pasties, and doughnut cushions, to simulate intimacy while keeping performers apart. Coordinators can also establish boundaries before filming begins.

The result is not simply a more polished scene. It helps prevent incidents such as an actor kissing a co-star without consent. Khanna says the work can mitigate harm that might otherwise lead to years of therapy. However, many productions still lack coordinators, so these protections are uneven.

Strict government guidelines and powerful censors caused Bollywood to largely avoid physical intimacy on screen for decades. Kissing and sex were often treated as unsuitable for direct depiction. This shaped not only what audiences saw, but also how filmmakers communicated desire and sexual relationships.

Instead of showing a kiss or sexual encounter, films used symbolic images. Flowers brushing against each other, crashing waves, or a crackling fire stood in for overt desire and consummation. These images conveyed romance indirectly while staying within the industry’s censorship environment.

When filmmakers eventually pushed boundaries, the filming process itself remained largely unstructured. The article links today’s change to streaming platforms, which face less censorship and show greater openness toward taboo subjects. As intimate storytelling becomes more direct, productions are also adopting coordinators to establish consent and choreograph physical actions.

On sets without intimacy coordinators, boundaries were traditionally handled through personal trust and individual judgment. Actors and directors often negotiated what felt comfortable between themselves. The process could depend on an actor’s ability to speak up, a director’s sensitivity, and the relationship between the people involved.

Rasika Dugal described this experience on Mirzapur. In its initial seasons, the cast had to navigate boundaries individually based on personal comfort. The article also reports instances in which an actor kissed a co-star without her consent. These examples show the weakness of relying only on informal agreements during pressured filming.

Some experienced directors still manage intimate scenes themselves, and certain films proceed without a dedicated coordinator. There are also no formal guidelines requiring coordinators. The newer model moves decisions earlier, often before casting, so actors can understand the script’s intimate content and decide whether to participate.

Explicit consent matters because intimate filming involves real bodies, vulnerability, and professional power differences. Actors may depend on directors, producers, or casting decisions for work. A vague assumption of comfort can therefore become pressure, especially when someone fears losing a role or appearing difficult. Clear consent makes participation an informed choice.

The article’s process starts before casting. Coordinators help ensure actors know that intimate scenes appear in the script and can decide whether they are comfortable before signing on. During production, they establish boundaries and choreograph movements. Modesty tools further reduce unnecessary contact, while agreed actions make consent concrete rather than assumed.

This protection can prevent violations, including an unwanted kiss during filming. Rasika Dugal says coordinators ensure nobody is violated and everyone’s concerns are cared for. The profession remains limited, however. With no industry-wide requirement, the article points toward film associations as possible creators of stronger standards.