Marathi actress Girija Oak, who has recently been hailed by the internet as the new ‘National Crush’ for her simplicity, grace and natural charm, opened up about one of the most frequently asked questions she receives—how she manages to romance on screen. She revealed that women, in particular, are often curious about how actors create chemistry with strangers in front of the camera.
‘How do you romance with a stranger?’
Sharing examples from her films, including Inspector Zende with Manoj Bajpayee, Girija said that viewers often assume romantic scenes are intimate or dreamy, but the reality is far from it.“Whenever I go to events where there are a lot of women, they always ask me how I romance on screen. It becomes a very interesting conversation,” she said in a conversation with The Lallantop.
Lights, heat and 150 people watching
Girija described the highly technical and uncomfortable environment in which romantic scenes are shot.She explained that sets are often packed with 100–150 people, and because fans and ACs can disrupt sound recording, they are switched off. “You’re sweating a lot… there’s sweat on your back, and the mic transmitter attached to your body gets hot. You’re in a costume, and someone is using a hair dryer to dry your sweat,” she said.Amid this chaos, actors have to worry about lighting, shadows and camera angles. “Someone will come and say the light is less from below, so a piece of thermocol comes in to reflect light on your face. Another person is checking your hair. In this situation, when so many people are looking at you critically, how will you romance?” she asked.
‘Kissing on screen feels like kissing cardboard’
Talking about intimate scenes, Girija stressed that there is nothing romantic about them.“Someone asked me how kissing on screen feels. I said it feels like kissing cardboard. There can be no feeling. Everything is mechanical,” she said.
Girija also revealed that many emotional close-up shots are performed without the co-actor present.“When you have to come close to the camera and say something, it’s your close-up. The other person is not in front of you. You’re looking at the camera, or at the corner of a cutter stand. I’ve had the most loving conversations while looking at a piece of thermocol, a black cloth or the corner of a light stand,” she said with a laugh.Girija made her debut quite young in Marathi films like Goshta Choti Dongraevadhi, and went on to prove her mettle in shows and movies like Gulmohar, Manini, Adgule Madgule, Taare Zameen Par, Shor in the City and Jawan. The actress will next feature in a web series titled Therapy Sherapy, co-starring Gulshan Devaiah.
