Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 7: Actor Mohit Malik has opened up about filming an intimate scene for the first time for Mirzapur: The Movie, revealing how an intimacy coordinator helped him and co-star Rasika Dugal establish boundaries and ensure consent throughout the shoot.

Speaking to India Today Digital, Mohit said intimacy coordinator Ankita Poddar guided the actors through the process, including discussing where they were comfortable being touched and seeking permission during the filming.

Mohit said he was nervous before shooting the scene as it was his first such experience, but Rasika helped him feel comfortable. He said the presence of the intimacy coordinator allowed both actors to concentrate on their performances without having to worry about whether their boundaries were being respected.

Rasika agreed, saying the process allowed them to focus on acting because questions about what each actor was comfortable with and what the director wanted had already been addressed.

The actors discussed their boundaries before the cameras rolled and clearly communicated what they were and were not comfortable doing. Mohit said the exercise included asking each other for permission before physical contact.

“I have worked with an intimacy coordinator for the first time. It's so nice to ask the other person, as a co-actor, what you're comfortable with, where you can touch and where you can't touch,” Mohit said.

He added that the coordinator guided them through the process of seeking consent during the scene, making it a structured part of the work rather than something left to the actors to negotiate on set.

Rasika said the process made the intimate scene feel like a professional exercise rather than something dependent on the actors' personal relationship.

“It automatically becomes work also. It's not left to any interpersonal relationship. It was a properly skilled workshop where she had done this exercise, and she did that with us. It's not like you're on set and you're doing it,” she said.

Mohit also spoke about discussing the scene with his wife, Aditi Malik, before filming. He said he explained the scenes to her and later asked whether she was comfortable after they watched the film together.

“I told her and explained everything to her, that these are the scenes. And also when we saw the film, when we came back, I asked her again, ‘Are you okay with it?’ She told me, ‘You're an actor. It has to be a part of the character's journey. It was important. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been there’,” he said.

Mohit stressed that intimacy coordinators should become a standard part of productions involving intimate scenes and urged filmmakers not to leave actors to work out such situations on their own.