Mumbai: Kissing is no more a taboo in Indian movies and most actors are doing it, but not for the one-film-old Kirti Kulhari because the newcomer was asked to lock lips with her co-actress Kalki Koechlin for ‘Shaitan’. She says it shocked her.
"The kiss with Kalki in the film was quite a shocker for me because I was not prepared for that," Kirti told reporters.
"Director Bejoy Nambiar used to joke around on the set that Kalki and Kirti will kiss, but I took it as a joke till I realized I have to do it. I was quite shocked and that`s what you`ll see on the screen - my shock and my real emotions coming out. It was too sudden," added the actress who made her big screen debut with ‘Khichdi - The Movie’ last year.
Set in Mumbai, Anurag Kashyap`s forthcoming production venture ‘Shaitan’ is about evil in human beings and is full of disturbing scenes. Nambiar also roped in Rajeev Khandelwal, Gulshan Deviah, Shiv Pandit and Neil Bhoopalam for his maiden venture that revolves around five youngsters.
The kissing scene was not the only part in the film that Kirti was uncomfortable with.
"I have a lot of confidence in Bejoy as a director; so I have done a few things in the film, which otherwise I would have taken a lot of time to get comfortable with. Like wearing a bikini. I would not have done it, but considering the kind of film it is, Bejoy explained why it is important and I did it," said the 24-year-old.
"There is another back shot that suggests that my boyfriend and I are making out. Even about that I was quite apprehensive, but I knew if Bejoy is thinking something, then it will be right. So I went ahead with it," she added.
Before doing films, Kirti used to work as a model. She started her modelling career in 2007 and has done ad films for products like Videocon, Parachute hair oil and ICICI Bank.
‘Shaitan’ sees Kirti as Tanya Sharma, a lower middle-class girl aspiring to be a top model. But she is unable to fulfil her big dreams.
For the actress, shooting for the film, which is landing in the theatres June 10, was mentally and physically exhausting.
"I have scenes which were very tough. There is a scene where I`m being slapped and my head is being banged against the wall. In one scene, I`m lying in a pool of blood and then one is where I`m in the hospital with all bruises.
"For me, it was a very disturbing experience. Because even though you are an actor, you don`t always act, there are moments when you actually feel what is happening in a scene. Many times during the shoot I cried to vent my emotions; it was very tough," she said.