Mirzapur The Movie actors on why intimacy coordinators matter

When Mirzapur: The Movie required an intimate scene, actors Mohit Malik and Rasika Dugal did not simply find their marks and hope for the best. They worked with intimacy coordinator Ankita Poddar, a role that is slowly becoming standard on Indian sets.

The conversation around intimate work in Indian cinema has shifted. Where such sequences were once left to directors and actors to negotiate in the moment, productions now increasingly treat consent and comfort as part of pre-production. Malik and Dugal say their Mirzapur: The Movie schedule reflected exactly that.

The scene before the scene

For Malik, who shot an intimate sequence for the first time, the process began well before the camera rolled. He told India Today Digital that the exercise involved spelling out what each actor was comfortable with, where they could be touched and where they could not, and asking permission as the work unfolded.

Dugal added that the coordinator’s preparation meant they did not have to manage each other’s boundaries or interpret what the director wanted. “We could really focus on the acting side of things,” she said.

Why the coordinator changes the shoot

An intimacy coordinator does more than supervise a scene. On productions with sexual or intimate content, the role turns consent and comfort into structured pre-production work. The shift mirrors a wider change across global productions, where intimacy coordinators have moved from an occasional safeguard to a recognised craft role.

• Clear boundaries are agreed before filming begins.
• Touch and movement are choreographed like any other action.
• Consent is requested during the scene rather than assumed.
• Actors can focus on performance, not personal negotiation.

Dugal underlined that this is skilled workshop work, not a conversation left to chance on set. That matters for Hindi cinema, where intimate material has often been shot with little formal structure.

The spouse question

Malik was also candid about the question many married actors face. Before filming he explained the scenes to his wife, Aditi Malik, and after they watched the film he checked in again. Her response, he recalled, was unequivocal: the scene mattered because it served the character.

“Before the married man is an actor,” Malik said, explaining his own outlook.

What should happen next

Malik’s larger point is aimed at filmmakers. Intimate scenes should not be left for actors to sort out among themselves. Making a coordinator part of the process from the start protects everyone involved and, as Dugal noted, actually helps the craft.

For fans, that promise of safer sets and clearer consent is part of the story too: better working conditions can mean more grounded, honest performances on screen.

Source: India Today