#CinemaTales: Sridevi's no-kissing on screen rule and her take on rape scenes in Bollywood

From a shy child actor to one of Indian cinema's best recognised faces today, Sridevi has come a long way in her almost 50-year-old career.

The actress, who made her debut in 1967, has starred in a wide range of roles - ranging from the whimpering damsel in distress to the villainous antagonist.

When she made her Bollywood debut, she was known as the girl with the baby voice. But she trooped forward and went on to become the most sought after actress of her time. Her last on screen outing, English Vinglish, was testament to the powerhouse of talent that Sridevi is.

While many have watched and loved her performances over the years, not many know that the actress had a strict no-kissing-on-screen rule. A rule that made things difficult for her in the 90s, when Bollywood began heavily experimenting with intimate screens as a major part of the film's promotions.

In her interview to a Bollywood magazine in 1992, Sridevi narrated an incident about how a director made somebody else step in for a kissing scene after she refused to do so. She said:

"Kissing scenes are not for me. For Joshilaay, Shekar Kapur did ask me if I would mind kissing Sunny. When I told him I would feel extremely embarrassed, he said 'Okay, don't worry, we won't do it' But the kissing problem of Guru was a nightmare. Someone else's lips were used for a kiss even though I had said I wouldn't allow this to be done by a stand-in. My parents saw the film and were very upset. And the director (Umesh Mehra) even claimed that I had actually done the kissing scene. That has been my worst experience in the film industry. I really don't know why I should kiss someone I don't know. Others can do it but I can't."

In the same interview, Sridevi also revealed that she was sick and tired of the trend of Bollywood films depicting rape scenes. She said:

"Rape scenes are also a headache though I've had to do a couple of them because every heroine has to. You have to scream, shout, you get hurt because your bangles break. Thank god, there's a slowdown on rape scenes nowadays."

-- quote from Filmfare