Gehraiyaan Intimate Scenes: Deepika Doesn't Need Her Husband's Permission To Do Her Job

As the date of release for Gehraiyaan featuring Deepika Padukone, Ananya Panday, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Dhairya Karwa slowly approaches, the questions on intimacy and intimate scenes between the cast members in the Shakun Batra film has come to focus. Many people are wondering what Padukone's husband Ranveer Singh had to say about these scenes and how did he "permit" her to film such sequences with Chaturvedi. How does it matter and why does she need the approval of her husband to act as a character who requires to be physically close to another actor? Will Ranveer be asked the same question for his films?

The film Gehraiyaan, which is co-produced by Karan Johar, has been in news for its topic--adultery and infidelity while taking a dive into the complexities of a modern urban relationship and redefining of love. Although, it has also been the centre of controversies, with people taking jive at Padukone's clothes, policing the actor for being intimate with another man aside of her husband and asking questions like did Singh "allow" or "permit" her to do this.

Gehraiyaan is scheduled for an OTT release on February 11.

Padukone and Singh are actors who use their talent to play different characters in different films with an array of subjects. Whether they can or cannot do a scene that involves kissing, making out, having sex or touching other people, is their decision based on their personal and mutual comfort. They do not need to take permission from their partner to do so. They can consider and debate on whether they are comfortable with seeing their partners on screen in such situations, but it is their personal discussion to have and viewers or social media users have no place in this discourse.

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To comment on Padukone's success and film release, tell her if she has asked permission to perform intimate scenes is so sexist. Rightfully, Padukone reacted to one such comment saying, "Yuck! It just feels so stupid." During a recent interview, the actor further said that she does not read comments and it was unnecessary to dignify such comments with a response. Rightfully so!

"It's stupid that we're even reacting to it. I think for us, that's the most important thing. I don't read comments. I'm pretty certain even he doesn't. And, I think. Yuck! It just feels so stupid," Padukone said. When asked about Singh's reaction to the film, she said that he is "extremely proud" of the film and her performance in it.

Gehraiyaan Intimate Scenes: Padukone Does Not Need Permission From Anyone

That is how it is supposed to be. It is Padukone's decision if she wants to perform an intimate scene and whether or not she feels comfortable with the other actor involved. One should never dismiss the actors' own ability to decide. In this case, stop with the moral policing of women actors and their choices. However, this question on whether Padukone has taken the permission or not does take us back to all the times during promotions when a woman is asked about her husband's reaction or involvement rather than their performance and involvement.

As fans, followers, critics, we need to draw a line and think before asking stupid, regressive questions which reinstates the entire patriarchal discussion that the man "allows" his wife, the wife needs "permission" to do something, the wife needs to "ask" her husband or she needs to wait for him to "decide." No, she does not and she is not obliged to even pay heed to such remarks and queries.

Views expressed are the author's own.