DC: Bedding the Bahu

At the height of their popularity, soaps like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki showcased their bahus — if they went to bed at all — doing so in full regalia: Heavy sari, bangles, mangalsutra and make-up all, present and correct. Mihir and Tulsi (of Kyunki...) were shown getting married after falling in love, much against the wishes of his mother, and even sired several children, but for all the contact that was shown between them in the bedroom (a demure distance suitably separated them in bed), the children might as well have been a product of Immaculate Conception.

Over the years, some shows actually showed their leading ladies in (gasp!) satin robes and nightdresses, the younger lot of actors even engaged in suhaag raat sequences. But by showing a full-blown liplock between lead pair Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar and a lovemaking scene lasting all of 17 minutes, Bade Acche Lagte Hain has brought sex into the living room.

The episode, which aired on Monday night, showed Ram, whose character has an arranged marriage with Sakshi's in the show, finally confessing his love for her and consummating their marriage. A small step for the actors, but a giant leap for television kind. Small wonder then that the episode has been trending on Twitter and is being extensively discussed on online forums.

Now, Ram has previously filmed an intimate, though not quite as much, scene with his Kasam Se co-star Prachi Desai, but for Sakshi, who has tried hard to break out of the Parvati bhabi image from her Kahaani... days (and succeeded in part with roles in Balika Vadhu and Devi), this is certainly a first. "For me, it was a big decision as I'd never attempted anything of the sort on television before," she says. "It did mean crossing my boundaries as an actor. It took a lot of time to convince myself, and my family, to say yes to enact this scene, but I am pleased that it has been received positively... the response has been overwhelming."

While Sakshi adds that the idea was definitely not to hurt anyone's sentiments (Ram expressed that he was unavailable for comment), Ekta Kapoor, Bade Achhe's producer, says an attempt was made to keep the consummation scene as realistic as possible. "The scene wasn't forced, it went with the flow. The director was asked to maintain an aesthetic tone, and there's nothing vulgar about the scene," she says.

Ekta revealed that it took time to convince Ram and Sakshi to portray the sequence, and that they both needed to check if their families were okay with the idea. "But that's justified because they have been on TV for sometime, and have an image to justify," Ekta says.

With senior actors willing to go the realistic route, does this mean content on TV will also, finally, reflect real life?