‘Intimacy is a human need, then why not show it?

We speak to Aastha Khanna — who claims to be the only certified intimacy coordinator from India — about the role of intimacy coordinators on set.

Onscreen portrayal of intimate scenes has changed over time. And with OTT making global content easily accessible, sex is breaking taboos. The recent series Bridgerton got eyeballs for presenting 19th century London’s high society with a bold approach towards intimacy. The show, which had an intimacy coordinator for shooting the scenes, was much loved by Indians, including Bollywood celebs.

The market is great here, but not big enough yet. It’s a matter of educating and spreading the word, says Aastha Khanna, the intimacy coordinator.

We speak to Aastha Khanna — who claims to be the only certified intimacy coordinator from India — about the role of intimacy coordinators on set. “A secure environment needs to be ensured for performers. It also provides safety to productions from lawsuits. The idea is to facilitate effective communication and smooth production,” Khanna explains. When asked if Indian film and TV industry also hires intimacy coordinators, she says, “The market is great here, but not big enough yet. It’s a matter of educating and spreading the word. The productions also need to know about intimacy coordinators, to uphold best practices for safety on sets.”

Currently working as an intimacy coordinator for Shakun Batra’s next film, Khanna believes that Indian audience is ready for steamy content. “We need to evolve in our intimacy-related content, make it less provocative, scandal-driven, and more organic. A coordinator can help aid that. I feel the audiences are ready for [shows like] Euphoria or Outlander to come from Indian content creators,” she says, adding, “Intimacy is a basic human need. Then why not show it? And content is a mirror of society as human stories.”

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