Mohit Suri's blockbuster movie Saiyaara emerged as the love story of the year and did not fail to capture hearts with its intense emotions, soulful music and groundbreaking performances. Saiyaara resonated strongly across all age groups, declaring Mohit Suri's mastery in the romance genre. Recently, Saiyaara's intimacy coordinator Akshay Murarka opened up about the intimate scenes in the movie and how they built up these moments. Akshay also revealed how the roles of intimacy directors have changed for good in the industry.
Akshay Murarka opened up about his experience of working with newcomers and how he managed to coordinate with Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. During a conversation with Hindustan Times, he said, "Since Ahaan and Aneet were newcomers, building trust came first. We workshopped in the first week of shooting itself, working through exercises around consent, boundaries, trust and comfort. These sessions aren’t just about preparing for intimate scenes - they’re about helping actors feel secure in their own bodies and with each other. The workshops are structured where every detail is discussed, agreed upon and carefully staged, nothing is ever assumed. Their openness made the process seamless. Once that foundation of safety was in place, the intimacy on screen felt natural and I think that honesty really connected with the audience. Much of the intimacy in Saiyaara unfolds through the songs."
While sharing the details of the scenes in the song Tum Ho Toh, he added, "In the song Tum Ho Toh, there’s a sequence with the two of them in a bathtub under an open-air shower. The intention there was to capture young, playful love without it tipping into anything steamy or vulgar. While the moment looks effortless on screen, a lot of care went into ensuring strict closed-set protocols, along with the use of modesty garments, body tape, and physical barriers, so that the actors’ safety and comfort were never compromised.”
Talking about the song Barbaad, he added, “In contrast, in the song Barbaad, there is a bedroom sequence where the emotion called for passion, but even there, the approach was gentle and sensitive. Every moment was carefully discussed and choreographed so the intimacy felt honest and intense, yet always respectful."
He further explained the role of an intimacy coordinator in today's time and shared, "Earlier, many intimate moments were handled instinctively, sometimes without enough conversation. When people feel safe, they perform more freely. That ultimately leads to intimacy on screen that feels more authentic, more nuanced, and far more powerful for the audience."
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Akshay also stressed the importance of trust during such scenes and revealed, "Trust is everything in this profession, and I never take that lightly, especially when an actor, and often an actress, places that trust in me as a male IC. I’m deeply aware of the responsibility that comes with it. Once they see that their comfort is genuinely being prioritised, not just in words, but in action, the trust follows naturally. There have been instances where I wasn’t brought on as an IC because a director, actress or the production felt they might feel more comfortable with a female IC and I completely respect that. My effort is always to approach intimacy with empathy and neutrality."
About Saiyaara
The movie Saiyaara turned out to be the highest opening Hindi film with a male lead debutant. Mohit Suri's romantic drama ruled over the hearts of the audience and became India's first romantic film to bag a gross collection of over Rs 500 crores.
The movie reportedly had a budget of Rs 45 crores and it was able to earn approximately Rs 330 crores during its theatrical run in India.