Bollywood actors who refused to do intimate scenes on screen

Mahira Khan, Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan

With most Bollywood films incomplete without bold, intimate scenes and liplocks becoming commonplace, most stars now do just what the director tells them.

Mahira Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui

However, there are quite a few actors who prefer to stick to their guns. Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, who gained recognition in India for her TV show Humsafar, is rumoured to have expressed reservations about doing an intimate scene with co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui in her Bollywood debut, 'Raees'.

hitlist takes a look at past instances of actors flatly refusing to share a kiss with their co-stars and going between the sheets…

Risque route
Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan, who made his Bollywood debut opposite Sonam Kapoor in Khoobsurat (2014), had to go between the sheets with co-star Alia Bhatt in his upcoming film Kapoor and Sons. According to buzz, he asked the makers to tone down the scenes as he was overcome with fear. Fawad claimed back home in Pakistan, there's no kissing or lovemaking involved in films and that he is concerned about the sensibilities of the people of his country.

Ali Zafar (left) has a no-kiss clause in his film contract while Fawad Khan (right) expressed reservations about brushing lips with Alia Bhatt in an upcoming film, keeping in mind the sensibilities of his fans in Pakistan

His fellow countryman, singer-actor Ali Zafar also has a no-kissing clause duly highlighted in his film's contracts. During the shoot of London Paris New York (2012), he apparently insisted on having a body double do the intimate scenes. Like Fawad, Ali too is concerned about how people back home would react to such stuff on screen.

Reserved for real
Though most leading Bollywood actresses have shed their inhibitions when it comes to filming steamy scenes, Sonakshi Sinha refuses to budge from her stand.

Sonakshi Sinha has a no-kissing and no-intimacy clause highlighted in her contract

The actress has a no-kissing and no-intimacy clause in all her contracts. Sona is not only uncomfortable with the idea, but also feels it is unnecessary and avoidable. She feels there's lots that she can say through her eyes instead.

Salman Khan does not lock lips with his co-stars on reel as his mother, Salma, watches all his films

Her Dabangg co-star Salman Khan echoes her sentiments. The star steers clear of smooching and lovemaking scenes. Sallu apparently deems it inappropriate as his mother, Salma, watches his films, which are made for family audiences anyway. He is reported to have said that people should enjoy kissing in real life, and not on reel.

Married tag
When Kareena Kapoor wed Saif Ali Khan in 2013, she refrained from kissing and doing bedroom scenes in her films. She apparently even refused to brush lips with co-star Ajay Devgn in Satyagraha (2013) during a romantic song sequence.

(Above) Kareena Kapoor refrained from doing intimate scenes on screen after her marriage; (right) Shahid Kapoor could possibly act coy about kissing and bedroom scenes since he's a married man now

Now that Shahid Kapoor is married, there is speculation that he might not get intimate with his future co-stars on the big screen.

About turn
>> A couple of years ago, Katrina Kaif had to reconsider buying the rights of the 1998 Drew Barrymore rom-com The Wedding Singer as passionate kisses were integral to the plot.

Though Kat had brushed lips with Gulshan Grover in her debut flick Boom (2003), she maintained a no-kiss policy afterwards until her liplock with co-star Hrithik Roshan in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and then in Bang Bang (2014) besides one with Aamir Khan in Dhoom 3 (2013).

>> Shah Rukh Khan broke his self-imposed rule to never kiss on screen, in Jab Tak Hai Jaan when he smooched Kat. SRK had stated that he was forced to do the scene as the script demanded so and also because Yash Chopra (whom he respected greatly) was the film's director.

Fake and strained
Veteran actor Om Puri, who did a sex scene with Rekha in Aastha (1997), thinks feels Indian actors don't know how to do lovemaking scenes, unlike their counterparts in the West.

He stated that there is no point in shooting an unconvincing love scene and most of the stuff that's shown on screen is highly unaesthetic. He calls it all "limbs and legs, fake and strained."