When Jannat Zubair refused to kiss her co-star in Tu Aashiqui and her mother lashed out at producers

Jannat Zubair, who is currently seen in Khatron Ke Khiladi 12, is trying to explore different mediums of acting after working on television. While she may or may not be uninhibited now, there was a time when Jannat refused to kiss her co-star Ritvik Arora in Tu Aashiqui leading to differences with the producer. Here's what happened. (Photo: Instagram)

It all started with makers introducing kissing and intimate scenes for a track on the show to grab more eyeballs. However, Jannat's mother put her foot down as the actress was just 16. She claimed she had made it implicitly clear to the makers that Jannat won't do a kissing scene onscreen.

It didn't stop there. The matter soon turned into an argument between Jannat's mother and the makers. Reportedly, the makers started looking for Jannat's replacement. Some of the names that were approached included Helly Shah, Puja Bannerjee and Tanya Sharma.

Jannat's mother back then told exclusively to ETimes TV, "Jannat was asked to shoot for an intimate scene. As we were not comfortable, after the discussion, the scene was shot as we wanted."

The episode made headlines eventually leading the producers to agree with Jannat. She was relieved from doing any intimate scenes in future. Jannat told us, "I am happy. They have agreed that I won’t be performing any intimate scenes in future. I am relieved with the decision. All this while, I was okay with shooting a kiss on hand or forehead but there are certain things that don't suit my age and I am not comfortable doing."

She said, "Everyone gets pressurized as nobody wants to mess up with the makers of the show, but I believe if you are not comfortable doing certain things, you should not bow down in front of anyone. For me, my dignity is most important and for that even if I have to leave a show or get less work, it doesn’t matter. I have seen many a time other actresses keep quiet thinking, if they speak, they will be thrown out of the show. But it is important to hold on to your ground and put your foot down." (Photo: Instagram)

Jannat added, "We tried to keep the matter personal but the media still got to know about it. It was very disheartening and disappointing to know that the show to which you give your 100 percent is planning to replace you. Why because I was not comfortable doing intimate scenes?. Honestly, when I read the news of other actors being auditioned for my role, I was shocked and thought what was the point of working so hard. I feel I have a certain responsibility towards the people who have watched me over the years on TV. They will be shocked to see me getting intimate on the small screen. That's one of the main reasons why I had my reservations regarding such scenes, apart from not being comfortable." (Photo: Instagram)

Jannat told ETimes TV, "My parents are happy as it has been a very tough period for all of us. Thankfully, we didn’t come under any pressure and my parents supported my decision. Now, henceforth, whatever scenes I do on the show will be written keeping in mind my age and personality." (Photo: Instagram)

The actress debuted on TV as a child artist with Kashi – Ab Na Rahe Tera Kagaz Kora. She then went on to do popular shows like Matti Ki Banno, Phulwa and Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai among others.