Young actors keen to get into Hindi films readily agree to no-holds-barred media interviews and provide details of their intimate scenes. For V GANGADHAR it was not difficult to get a juicy interview with model turned actors, Krishna Chaturvedi and Ruhi Singh about their foray into Bollywood and the famous kissing scene which needed 33 retakes in their debut film ‘Ishq Forever’. Excerpts:
Q (to Krishna): You were doing well as a model in Delhi. Was it difficult to switch over to the silver screen?
A: In school and college I was addicted to films. Did a lot of modelling and fashion shows I got a lot of such work and decided to try my luck in Mumbai where I did not have to struggle all that hard. I guess it could be just beginner’s lucky. There were many openings for theatre and fashion show world. Of course, I was always aiming for chances in films.
Q: (To Ruhi) Now both you and Krishna had to do 33 retakes for a kissing scene in your first film. Tell me something about this ‘unique’ experience. Why 33? Why not one less, 32, or one, more 34?
A (Ruhi): For that, please ask the director well, we were not bad kissers. We were comfortable from Take 1. The kiss was part of a song and dance sequence and the choreographer was a perfectionist, wanting to shoot from many angles and developed lumbago. The kiss was very much part of the romantic plot. Some people joked that with the Rio Olympics round the corner we were keen to try and get ‘Kissing’ as an Olympic event. The way Krishna was doing it; we would have bagged a ‘Silver’ if not the ‘gold’.
(Krishna) Well, I had to agree with Ruhi. She told the media that on the kissing scale, she would register 10/10 and I, 8/10. Who am I argue with a lady? You can judge our work on the screen.
Q: Well, if the judging were to be done by members of the Modi sarkar…Are you ready for the best or the worst?
(Ruhi) I am taking no chances. My passport is ready, so is the Visa to the US. My mummy reminded me the story of our 16 year old Bollywood star Nimmi who gained fame when a US film delegation came to Bombay and was told by Nimmi she had never been kissed till then. Gregory Peck was a member of the delegation.
Our media was a bit conservative in those days that are the reason why. To this day no one knows if Nimmi and Peck had a bit of a Roman holiday in Bombay during the visit
