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Shabd is about a writer (Sanjay Dutt) who tells his wife (Ash) that she should explore an extramarital relationship with a boy (Zayed Khan) because that will be the subject for his next novel. This is unusual for Indian culture, and yet, you stated in an interview to 60 Minutes last month that Indians won't accept you in a lip lock with an actor. Isn't that contradictory?

I was asked why kissing does not exist in Bollywood. That intrigued them because it is so basic in Western movies. They asked why we made a fuss about it. I answered that in the 1920s and 1930s, there were lip lock scenes in Hindi cinema. But down the road, we stopped. Recently, it made a comeback.

I was not giving a prudish or judgmental comment.

I meant it reflected comfort levels in our society. Kissing is not a familiar sight, even in Mumbai. Urban society is very different from the heart of India. But even in urban India and beaches, you do not see people walking around in swimwear. Yes, people do wear swimwear when they go to swim, so you will see that partially in our films.

Yes, Indians do kiss and produce babies. This is the land of the Kamasutra. But it is not a familiar sight. You don't see people kissing in trains or buses. You may just see them in lovers' spots.

Life imitates art and art imitates life. That gets reflected in our cinema.

Do you think we should change this attitude?

I don't think there is any doctrine here. There is no need to stick to a format. That is what creativity is all about.

Filmmaking is a director's medium, a creative mind's medium, and how they want to explore it. This is a democracy. At the same time, it is the viewer's choice to accept it or not.

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