Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj has opened up about the changing approach to filming intimate scenes in Indian cinema, recalling an awkward incident from his earlier career and explaining why working on Lust Stories 3 felt more comfortable.
In a recent conversation, Bhardwaj spoke about how intimate scenes were handled before intimacy directors became more common on film and web-series sets. He recalled an instance when an actress approached him with a very direct question about an intimate scene, asking whether the scene would involve kissing with the tongue and requesting him to clarify it with her male co-star. Bhardwaj said he actually had to put the question to the actor, describing the situation as extremely awkward.
According to the filmmaker, the arrival of intimacy directors has significantly changed the atmosphere on sets. He said their presence makes actors and directors more comfortable and creates a clearer framework for scenes involving physical intimacy. For Bhardwaj, this allows filmmakers to concentrate more on the emotional and dramatic requirements of a scene rather than dealing with uncertainty over how it should be performed.
His comments come in the wake of his segment in Lust Stories 3, the third instalment of Netflix's anthology franchise. Bhardwaj's story stars real-life married couple Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth. The two previously worked together in the 2021 Telugu film Maha Samudram and later married in 2024. Their reunion on screen has attracted considerable attention, particularly because the story explores desire and intimacy within a marriage.
Interestingly, Bhardwaj believes the actors' real-life relationship was not the only reason the intimate portions worked smoothly. His segment is told largely from Aditi's character Saira's perspective, and the director said casting Hydari helped him explore Siddharth's character as an object of desire from a woman's point of view.
Hydari and Siddharth have also spoken about the experience of working together in such scenes. Hydari said their comfort came from Siddharth's professionalism and his ability to create a supportive working environment. Siddharth, meanwhile, said that being married to his co-star did not fundamentally change his approach to acting. For him, the focus remained on playing the character created by the writer and shaped by the director.
Bhardwaj's Lust Stories 3 segment is set in Hyderabad in the 1980s and follows Saira and Badru, a married couple whose relationship has settled into a routine. Saira, played by Hydari, begins exploring her own desires and discovers a new form of self-expression through literature and writing. The story combines romance, marriage, humour and questions surrounding intimacy and communication.
The anthology also features segments directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao and Shakun Batra. Released on Netflix on September 18, Lust Stories 3 brings together four different stories examining relationships, desire and intimacy from distinct perspectives.
For Bhardwaj, the experience also highlights how filmmaking practices have evolved. What once required uncomfortable conversations and uncertainty can now be approached through clearer communication and professional coordination, making intimate scenes more structured and comfortable for everyone involved.
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