new article on ht

Intimacy isn't explicit on TV in India because channels cater to family audiences. Usually, all you see is hugging, caressing and sighing, shots of various portions of the actors' anatomy, romantic songs in the background, flying hair, candle flames wavering and flowers strewn about the set.

But in Monday's episode of Sony's Bade Acche Lagte Hain(BALH), the characters played by Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar were shown making love for the entire episode — caressing each other and kissing twice (though the first kiss was just a brush of the lips). "The lovemaking scene will take intimacy a notch higher on TV," says Manuj Aggarwal, CEO, Balaji Telefilms.

"BALH is a mature romance and doesn't have the usual melodrama, which is why it connected with the audiences. It would have been a letdown to portray the characters' intimacy in a fictitious manner. To use symbolism wouldn't have been right." The scene is the highest point of Ram and Priya's marriage in the show. The chemistry between them was so strong that Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director and Creative Director of Balaji Telefilms, has urged the actors to perform a romantic act on stage at Balaji's Global Indian Film & Television Honours 2012, to be held soon.

Reactions to the love-making episode have been as intense as the scene itself. Hyderabad-based Shiromani Das, 26, says, "The episode was good, the chemistry was rocking and they make a cute couple." Sanjeev Mimani, 38, from New Delhi, was thrilled. "Thank God they made out. It was about time. The whole scene was cool and had the right touch."

Says Mumbai-based Kshama Rao, 37, "It would have been nicer to see more intimacy after the tempting promos. The episode was actually 'dialoguebaazi' with just two-three minutes of romance. Yet a kiss is a big deal in Hindi serials."

But the reactions weren't always positive. Bangalore-based Sangita Kini, 29, says, "It was too much for a TV serial that you watch with family and kids. Ekta is trying to shoot her shows like films for a rise in TRPs. This episode needs to be condemned." Pooja Shenoy, from 24, New Delhi, feels the same. "I wasn't comfortable watching the episode with my family," she says, backed by Aditya Raj, 45, from Jaipur. "For TV, the scene was long drawn out and too much," he says. "Otherwise, the romance was just right."

And twitter goes berserk

@ramkapoor1973: "What a response to yesterday's episode. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you (sic)."

@14_year_old_etard: "I tried to Google images of Ram Kapoor, but the guy seems to be pretty heavy since the page is not even loading (sic)."

@priyal: "The nation wants to know if Ram Kapoor is going to work today (sic)."

@thetanmay: "You think Sakshi Tanwar woke up today next to Ram Kapoor and thought to herself.. "I'm never drinking again... (sic)"

@roflindian: "Ram Kapoor is a rare case of completely assimilated twins that grow up as a single entity (sic)."

@JayHind: "Ram Kapoor finally got some much needed workout (sic)."

Sex and the soaps

13-Mar

sorry if posted before...