Gulshan Devaiah on shooting for intimate scenes with 'National Crush Girija Oak': 'Have become more experienced'

MUMBAI: Actor Gulshan Devaiah has been receiving great reviews for his latest web series 'Perfect Family'. The actor, who filmed an intimate scene in the series with the current 'National Crush' Girija Oak, spoke to IANS about the sensitivity and sensibility involved while shooting it.

"It's always very difficult to do such scenes, because there is a line that we cannot cross," said Gulshan, talking to IANS.

"Simulating intimacy or violence is very tricky, as there is always a boundary you can't go beyond, yet you still have to create the illusion of it being real. So, you must find ways to do it responsibly," he added.

"When I am working with someone, they have to trust me, and I have to trust them so that we take care of each other. You have to build that trust quickly, especially when you don't know the person very well."

The actor spoke about the involvement of intimacy coordinators on set.

"Sometimes there are intimacy coordinators, like in 'Ulajh'; we had one from the UK who guided us step-by-step through the process and made everyone feel comfortable. It's a different matter that later three-quarters of those scenes were cut from the film! Nothing much remained in the final version, but that's how it is sometimes."

The actor also said, "Over time, I have become more experienced with such scenes. Back when we were shooting 'Hate Story' in 2012, there were no intimacy coordinators or anyone to help us navigate these things. We had to figure everything out on our own. Thankfully, I was working with Paoli Dam, who was very supportive and made me feel comfortable throughout."

Talking about Gulshan, the actor has been on a roll with his back-to-back projects that have yet again proven his acting prowess.

When IANS asked Gulshan about casting for shows and movies based on the number of social media followers, he said, "I don't give a shit. It's a trend. Is it valid? Does it have any real merit? I don't know."

"I am not sure if all those followers are actually translating into subscriptions or ticket sales. I don't know. But somebody who knows better than me is making these decisions, and maybe they think it's a good idea to hire someone based on that."

He added, "Some of those people are actually pretty decent too; they are good actors. I don't want to say anything negative about anyone. Everyone should find their own way."

Citing his own social media example, Gulshan said, "Now open my social media and see how many followers I have. I don't even have 300K. Yet, I am getting work."