Biswajit Chatterjee says his kissing controversy with Rekha has ‘no meaning’ compared to Animal’s bedroom scenes

Biswajit Chatterjee commented on his controversial kissing scene with Rekha in Do Shikari, comparing it to modern intimacy in films like Animal.

The portrayal of intimacy in Bollywood has changed considerably over the decades, but some controversies from the past continue to resurface. Veteran actor Biswajit Chatterjee has now spoken about the much-discussed kissing scene involving him and a teenage Rekha in Anjana Safar, later released as Do Shikari. Rekha had alleged that Biswajit kissed her without her consent during the scene when she was 15. Speaking about the incident years later in a podcast with ANI, Biswajit compared the controversy with the intimate scenes audiences see in films today, including Animal.

Biswajit Chatterjee compares his kissing controversy with Rekha to Ranbir Kapoor-Triptii Dimri's bedroom scene in Animal.

Biswajit on kissing controversy with Rekha

When asked about the kissing controversy involving Rekha, he said, "In today’s age, that controversy does not matter. Today, on-screen kissing is nothing. Today’s bedroom scenes.. I am shocked to watch them in films like Animal."

Biswajit further revealed that he met Rekha after the controversy and said, "After that, she did my movie. I was the producer and director, and I talked to her. She worked in my movie. Controversy should be there. It should be said. It has to be said just for passing time."

Rekha was still in her teens when she came to Mumbai looking for work opportunities in Bollywood. One of the first Hindi films she signed in 1969 was Anjana Safar, which was later renamed Do Shikari. In her autobiography, Rekha: The Untold Story, Rekha claimed that during one of the intimate scenes, Biswajit kissed her without her consent and continued kissing her for five minutes even as she resisted. She also claimed that the entire cast and crew whistled and cheered while she was left traumatised and in tears.

The film, directed by Kuljit Pal, was stuck with the Censor Board for almost a decade. It was revived in the late 1970s after Rekha had become a star. It was retitled Do Shikaari and released in 1979. Years later, when Biswajit was asked about the incident at an event, the actor laughed off the controversy, saying the media had made a mountain out of a molehill. He said the kiss was necessary for the story and that he had improvised the scene.

About Animal's bedroom scene

In Animal, Ranbir Kapoor’s character Ranvijay becomes involved with Triptii Dimri’s Zoya after meeting her during his revenge mission. Their relationship turns intimate, leading to one of the film’s most talked-about bedroom sequences. The scene shows Ranvijay and Zoya becoming physically intimate while his wife, Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna), remains unaware of the affair.

The sequence was widely discussed following the film’s release. Triptii’s performance and chemistry with Ranbir received substantial attention, contributing to her transition into a more prominent mainstream role.