'Maaya' is not soft porn: Vikram Bhatt

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, who has roped in actress Shama Sikander for his debut web series "Maaya" -- an adult love story involving BDSM -- says he did not set out to make soft porn.

Bhatt's film is said to be about two people who come together using aliases and experiment with BDSM -- bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism.

Asked if Shama was sceptical about doing the web series, Bhatt told IANS: "Shama did have a couple of anxiety attacks, but I told her I am not making some soft porn. My point is it to show it aesthetically."

"I am not here to compete with the porn industry on the internet. It is an aesthetically made story."

"Maaya" will go live on his own web channel, VB on the web, in October.

Will "Maaya" be on the lines of "Fifty Shades of Grey"?

Bhatt said: "I just say 'Fifty Shades of Grey' because that's how people understand BDSM. This is the kind of story that I would have endlessly fought with the censors, but nothing would have happened."

"It's an adult romance. It is a web series it is a 10-part series. We are half-way through."