Exclusive! Radhika Madan and Sunny Kaushal: We didn’t need to 'break the ice' for steamy scenes in Shiddat

Radhika Madan and Sunny Kaushal were recently seen in the Disney+ Hotstar’s romantic movie Shiddat. The Kunal Deshmukh directorial also stars Mohit Raina and Diana Penty in pivotal roles.

Radhika, who started her career with a daily soap Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi, is now on a roll with recently released shows and films on digital streamers. Meanwhile, Sunny, who debuted on OTT platforms with Amazon Prime’s The Forgotten Army Azaadi Ke Liye, has recently been seen in multiple music videos.

OTTplay caught up with the duo to talk about Shiddat and their experiences on working together, their upcoming projects and more. Excerpts:

What's special about your characters?

Radhika: Kartika is very celebral. She overthinks a lot and is very practical. She's basically what today's generation is like. It's very different to who I am as a person. I'm all heart. It was very interesting to play her on-screen.

Sunny: Juggi is all hearts and not cerebral. His whole life revolves around loving Kartika. It becomes his motivation throughout the film. His notion of love is very different from others. The dynamic and chemistry between Juggi and Kartika are very interesting. They both value love a lot but their idea of it is completely different in life. Juggi is because Kartika is.

Shiddat was initially a project associated with Karan Johar's name. So do we see a hint of what his films are like?

Radhika: I wish. Nahi (No).

Sunny: It's nothing like that.

Radhika, you have always wanted to play such a character, right?

Yeah, my hair has flown. In Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, I slid across a car. I got that scene but it was different which I'm really glad about. I don't think it's similar to those films. It's a different world altogether. It's a very young love story.

We have seen projects where couples try to fix long-distance relationships. What will we find new in Shiddat?

Sunny: I can assure you that you have not seen a story like this.

Radhika: The youth is going to connect to it a lot because we haven't shown love in a cliched way. Otherwise, why will we show you a happily-ever-after, right? There are complications that these young people go through when it is as simple as loving someone. It's very different, fresh, relatable and people are going to connect to it a lot.

Does Shiddat have a backstory like Kunal Deshmukh's other films like Jannat or Tum Mile, which had a part of match-fixing and Mumbai rains respectively?

Radhika: There are elements.

Sunny: A story only works when it is complex and has layers to it. It's not as simple as girl meets boy, falls in love etc. There are many elements that make a story. I don't know if, in the Kunal Deshmukh sense, there are any side stories but there are a lot of complexities in the film.

There are a few romantic and steamy scenes in the film. How did you both break the ice?

Sunny: We didn't need to. We first bumped into each other after we were locked for Shiddat. We met at a screening where we connected. After that, there was no need to break the ice. We had readings and started shooting after that meeting.

Radhika: We're both professionals and have mutual respect. So, then you anyway gain trust. Everything flows effortlessly at that time.

Sunny, you made your OTT debut with a series. Now you have Shiddat, which will be released on OTT. What has your transition been like?

I'm here to work on movies so there was no transition as such. Whether you're shooting for a series or films, the days don't really matter as much. We shot The Forgotten Army also like a film. Later on, it was edited into 5 episodes.

Radhika, you first worked in TV, then films and now you have even ventured into anthologies. What has your journey been like?

It's been exciting, challenging and filled with gratitude. I'm on this amazing ride and enjoying every second of it.

Sunny, are you collaborating with Vicky any time soon?

Oh, we would absolutely love to do something together! I don't think anything is happening in the near future. My opinion is that if I have to work with Vicky in the near future, it should be something special. We should connect on something special professionally.

Radhika, we have seen Sunny in a lot of music videos. Are you planning something similar in the near future?

Soon. Very soon. I've already shot for something. The release date is unsure though. Till then, enjoy Shiddat's music.

There's a debate about censorship on OTT platforms. What's your take on that?

Radhika: To be very honest, people were excited about OTT because it gives you freedom of speech to show the story you want to. I also feel that censorship is important because the youth is always watching OTT and they require supervision. You make movies for a particular audience. Of course, there are two sides to the coin. Where there are pros, there are also cons.

Sunny: I absolutely second Radhika. I was thinking about the exact same thing. When you go to theatres, you still have an id card. How do you gauge something on OTT? The whole field is so new so how it should be governed, will need new rules. So it will take time. The viewers, us, the bodies also will take time to understand what should and shouldn't be done. That's a process. It's not black or white. Even our film industry developed over the years. It's always a give-and-take and bettering it.

Radhika, since there are some cuss words in the trailer, if Shiddat happened to be released in theatres, would the characters’ reaction have been the same?

We might have used another word but retained the essence. The character is saying what it is saying. It's not Radhika using the cuss word. It was for the essence of the emotion. It's up to the makers about how they want to convey the emotion.

What’s after Shiddat? Tell us about your upcoming projects.

Sunny: I have Hurdang after this. It will be coming out soon as well.

Radhika: I have a film that I'm shooting for. I have a web show. I'm also doing Kuttey with Vishal sir (Bhardwaj). His son Aasman is directing it.