Zoya Akhtar talks about the importance of consensual intimacy on screen; says, ‘I grew up in a time when women…’

Zoya Akhtar made her directorial debut with Luck By Chance in 2009, which starred her brother, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar. After directing the 2009 film, along with other films such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Gully Boy and The Archies, Zoya carved out a niche for herself in the Hindi film industry. The ZNMD director recently spoke out about the importance of consensual intimacy on screen, saying that she grew up seeing female characters being “bullied” and “beaten up” in films.

In the last session of Expresso of Indian Express, Zoya Akhtar shed light on censorship in cinema and argued that physical intimacy should not be censored. Zoya also discussed the importance of showing consensual intimacy in films and web series.

“I grew up in a time when women were bullied, beaten, harassed and sexually abused on screen. All that was allowed, but you couldn’t see a kiss,” Zoya said. The filmmaker added that the audience should be able to see love, tenderness and physical intimacy between two adults.

Zoya’s father, veteran screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar, offered his perspective to the discussion. Javed highlighted the psyche behind depicting a love scene, saying that depicting a love scene to evoke “excitement” and “real romance and empathy” is quite different.

Recalling his experience, the Deewar screenwriter said that he doesn’t use “four-letter swear words” when he’s angry. However, when he saw it on screen in Bandit Queen, he didn’t mind as it wasn’t meant to “shock or excite” the audience.

In Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Katrina Kaif’s character Laila kisses Arjun (played by Hrithik Roshan) during his road trip with friends Kabir Dewan (Abhay Deol) and Imraan Qureshi (Farhan Akhtar). Zoya’s other notable works include Dil Dhadakne Do, Lust Stories, Ghost Stories, Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, Kho Gaye Hum Kahan and more.

Zoya appeared in Namrata Rao’s docuseries, Angry Young Men. The series was based on the lives of Salim-Javed, the iconic screenwriting duo that ruled Hindi cinema in the 1970s. The series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on August 20, 2024. It also starred Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.

READ ALSO: Zoya Akhtar confirms she is working on a crime mafia film; recalls Salim-Javed’s writing style and how they didn’t resort to ‘cheap tricks’