Kissa kiss ka: Sudhir Mishra snips off Chitrangda-Arjun Rampal's kiss

A report doing the rounds is that filmmaker Sudhir Mishra has edited out a long lingering kiss between Arjun Rampal and Chitrangda Singh in Inkaar. Says a source, “There is a love-making sequence, a very long a torrid one between Chitrangda and Arjun, which culminates in a lingering intimate smooch. When Sudhir saw it on the screen he decided to cut the kiss off.” Mishra, it might be mentioned here, is known to be very particular about the way Chitrangda is projected on screen. She has been the leading lady of his films from the time they did Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. When contacted Mishra confirmed the kiss had been tampered with. “But it hasn’t been removed. It’s just been relocated. There is a love-making sequence, a very detailed one, and the kiss was an integral part of it. However I decided that the full impact of the love-making sequence and its real validity in the scheme of the plot would come across if I pluck the kiss out of the love-making scene and place it at a later part of the film,” explains Sudhir Mishra. Sudhir says he is no prude when it comes to bodily functions. “I have never shied away from physical intimacy in any of my films. The kiss between Arjun and Chitrangda marks an important turning-point in the plot, and that’s how I’ve treated it. There’s no resorting to silhouettes or fudging the kissing. It’s a very passionate full-blooded kiss.” Defending his right to cast Chitrangda for the third time in his directorial repertoire Sudhir says, “She’s a very good actress with a terrific screen presence. Why shouldn’t I cast her? Why am I not credited for introducing new talent into the industry? Not just Chitrangda. What about Aditi Rao Hyderi who is doing so well for herself now? She was just a bit player in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6 when I cast her in a pivotal role in Yeh Saali Zindagi. And what about Arunodoy Singh? I don’t know what he’s doing with his career now. But initially I was the one who cast him and recommended him to my friends including Anil Kapoor who cast Arunodoy on his home production Aaisha.”