Kissing, adult scenes will be the new normal despite producer Allu Aravind’s request to tone it down or eliminate it. There were talks of having the need for censorship for OTT films not so recently but it fell on deaf ears. The Telugu audience is not used to seeing Nitya Menen exposing or kissing on screen. She is known as a ‘performer’ and when she did Prashant Verma’s Awe, the audience were definitely surprised with the Esha Rebba-Nitya Menen female bonding act but not anymore. The invasion of OTT into people’s lives has helped shape their perspective.
There is so much nudity, bold dialogues and content that everything has become a new normal and people are okay with the ‘script demands’ line. She recently stated her act in Breathe Into The Shadows was her finest performance. Those who haven’t seen the film, did watch it after what she said only to realise that the script genuinely demanded it. Their rant didn’t hold ground. The video of her kissing woman went viral and that is for the voyeurs.
A few were surprised when Naveen Chandra kissed Salony Luthra seeking a closure to the simmering tension between them in the climax. Take for instance Mahesh Babu, when a picture of him kissing his wife was released to the media, a lot of people especially his fans didn’t quite appreciate it. It took a lot of time to understand that Babu is not a shy man as he is made out to be. Actors should be careful about choosing content. Once the pandemic dies down and theatres are open to the public, it will be a different scenario. There will be a different audience who will choose films based on the cast. Remember the talented Srinivasa Avasarala, after Babu Baga Busy he is yet to get a decent role. It will be interesting to see the kind of content the Guntur Talkies hero Siddhu will pick henceforth.
