BANI---Steamy scenes spice up TV

With Indian cinema getting bolder by the day, how could its smaller cousin, TV remain sedate and boring? In order to spice up things, television too has taken the bold route with a few hot-n-steamy scenes now being thrown in to otherwise boring soaps. Recently, Viraasat on Star Plus actually shocked audiences by showing a rather intimate scene between protagonists Sangita Ghosh and Rohit Roy on their wedding night. When asked about her bold scenes, Sangita Ghosh says, "I really cannot understand what the fuss is all about. When our TV girls are already sporting necklines and halter blouses, what's new and different that I have done?"

Similarly, Kasamh Se on Zee TV also showed a lovemaking scene between Ram Kapoor and Prachi Desai. Here too, our otherwise sweet and innocent heroine didn't find anything wrong in it. "Such scenes have been done before. It's only because my scene is new that people are making a big hue and cry about it," justifies Praachi. She also says, "It was a very normal scene, it appeared bold only because it was shot in the bedroom."

We would like to ask her only one question here — If the scene was really so normal, why did she have to give 20-25 takes? And can a man kissing a woman all over her body be termed 'normal'? "Definitely not! We are not going to tolerate all these. What are we showing our children through such embarrassing scenes on TV?" says Madhu Shastri, a housewife and a mother of two young kids. According to her, such serials should be banned. She also says that she feels very awkward when her kids ask her what those people are doing.

Noted psychiatrist Dr Sachchidanand says, "Today's children are anyway exposed to such things. Keeping them away from TV is not going to help much. Rather, one should try and explain the good and bad aspects of sex to their children so that such things don't have any bad influence on their minds."

The general public though isn't so broad-minded because a source who doesn't want to be quoted says, "How many bikini clad women do you see walking on our beaches? When you can not turn Juhu into Miami, why are you trying to convert our Buniyaad and Hum Log into Baywatch?."

Stars give their take on heating up the screen

Manini De Mishra (Pari of Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin)

I would be very uncomfortable doing intimate scenes; it's not in my comfort zone. Is there really a need for some bedroom scenes on TV? Let's face it guys, such scenes are simply meant to titillate. Let's not forget that we have children watching such programmes. Those people who want to watch adult stuff can get it from films, so spare the TV.

Sangita Ghosh, (Pammi of Des Mein...)

There was nothing bad about the way our wedding night sequence was shot in Viraasat. The scene was done very aesthetically, more importantly this scene was very important from the point of view of the narrative. After all, does not any marriage require a physical relationship?

Manasi Salvi (Sati on Sahara One)

I am completely against bold stuff on Indian television. It's a medium that the whole family watches together, so please stick to decent stuff. Regarding the argument that showing love making scenes is part of the narrative, why do you need to show it visually when there are enough suggestive ways to show it? In our Indian culture, sex between a married couple is a private and beautiful thing, please don't corrupt it.

Prachi Desai (Bani of Kasamh Se)

Our TV serials are nothing when compared to what is shown on cinema. Besides, I myself will not be comfortable doing the real bold stuff.