Kiss
Verb
To touch or caress the lips as a sign of love.
We live in a society that still considers kissing (not just in public actually) a Taboo. This not only applies to real couples but also to the reel ones. Even though cinema is merely a visual / virtual medium, there is no escape from society’s scrutiny for such acts.
Now, imagine (I don't have a choice but to imagine) you are madly in love with a guy/girl. It is very genuine, unconditional... basically your relationship is in its ideal possible way. Isn’t it obvious that you may choose to kiss your love to express your unexplainable feelings for that person? Why are obvious things being treated as an interdict?
Coming to Tamil films, directors and actors should be applauded for the many stunts they have to perform to convey to the audience that “A male and a female kissed”. These stunts have evolved from time to time. I remember watching old Sivaji Ganesan films where he will give a peck on a child’s cheek and the heroine will feel like it was on her own cheek Yes, ONLY ‘peck on the cheek’ depiction was allowed and such symbolism came to their rescue.
Later the directors became a little bold, they used the paired elements of nature to depict a kiss. A honey bee collecting nectar from a flower, love birds kissing etc. The visual metaphors and the directors' creativity saved them.
Right now such metaphors are spotted in spoofs more than in genuine entertainers. No more are such metaphors appreciated as it tends to steal away from realism and does not kindle any poetic feeling. What has happened in the current scenario? Thanks to out of focus shots and also the sunrise / sunset silhouette shot where the frame is bleached with the sun rays, directors are able to portray kissing scenes better.
I have personally had moments where I, in a particular scene where the romance or rather any relevant emotion will be at its peak, badly wanted the hero and heroine to kiss but it would be consciously avoided by the filmmaker. Perhaps, one does not want to face any issues while censoring the film and has no energy or time to lock horns with the so-called vigilante groups of the society.
The Dec 18 release, Thangamagan was a bold outing in this regard and for Tamil movie buffs, it is very rare to spot so many smooches in one film. They don't look force-fitted or vulgar and gel genuinely well with the moments on screen! So are we in for more such bold movies in Tamil cinema henceforth? Let’s wait and watch!
