Mumbai: According to Joseph Francis Tribbiani (better known as Joey), of ‘Friends’ fame, the thumb rule of couple chemistry between actors is quite simple really — “The rule is when two actors are actually doing it off-stage, all the sexual tension between them is gone. Okay? So as long as it’s hot on-stage you got nothing to worry about. It’s when the heat goes away, that’s when you’re in trouble.”
As fanatic followers of the best-sitcom-ever would know, everything that Joey says is not to be taken seriously. In his own words, “It’s usually a moo point. Like a cow’s opinion, you know, it just doesn’t matter. It’s moo.” (I know I’m digressing but quoting iconic lines from Friends is so addictive. Try it sometime.) In this case however, Joey made perfect sense.
It’s a curious thing — chemistry. They say chemistry is between characters and not actors. But the heat that Joey talks about is the energy that the two actors who inhabit those characters bring on screen.
Sometimes all it takes is a look to burn the screen. Like Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in ‘Ram-Leela’ in the song ‘Lahu munh lag gaya’ — the sexual tension is so palpable that you can cut it with a knife.
The song is ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’s ‘Aankhon ki gustakhiyan’ redux — sure this one is loaded with more sensuality than the Salman Khan-Aishwarya Rai original, which was more in the cute-naughty space but the thought and execution gives a massive déjà -vu feel. In ‘Aankhon ki…’ the hero is so smitten by the girl that he accidently burns his hand with the diyas. In ‘Lahu munh lag gaya’, the girl kisses the boy.
In a recent interview when she was quizzed about her chemistry equation with Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone also took up for the cause of the script.