Tyrewala is first Hindi film director to shoot a kissing scene between wife Pakhi and John Abraham

Abbas Tyrewala is not the first Indian director to pair his wife with an actor. The legendary V Shantaram directed his two wives, first Jayshree and then Sandhya in films co-starring himself and other actors.

In Abbas's 1-800-Love, he has filmed a kissing scene between his wife (also leading lady) Pakhi and lead actor John Abraham. That's a first for a Hindi film director.

Writer-cum-actress
The film is an intense love story, the screenplay of which had been penned by Pakhi, when she was in college. She had a massive crush on John in those days and had written the film with him and herself in mind.

Says Abbas, "Pakhi and John share a tremendous chemistry on screen. And I'm glad! Imagine, if they looked incompatible or anything less than made for each other! What would have happened to my film?!" The trick for Abbas was to leave his wife at home when he came on the sets.

"The girl I was directing in the film was not my wife. She was the actress chosen because she suited the role." He candidly admits, "Initially I was a little apprehensive. But once the camera rolled Pakhi and I forgot our personal relationship."

He himself filmed a kissing scene between his wife and his hero. Reasons John, "It is an intensely romantic film. And the kiss is an integral part of romance. But the film is very clean, sweet and innocent."

In B-Town there is precedence.
B R Ishaara directed his wife Rehana Sultan in many sexually explicit films in the 1970s, their most celebrated collaboration being Chetna where Rehana undressed almost completely for a scene with Anil Dhawan.

And then there was Deepa Sahi being directed in a torrid love sequence with Shah Rukh Khan by her own husband Ketan Mehta in Maya Memsaab (1993). It later came to light that the love scene had been rigorously rehearsed in a hotel room before it was actually shot.

In Hollywood
Other filmmakers have diirected their wives in intimates scenes. Hollywood has such examples of artistic liberality

1. John Derek directed his wife Bo Derek in a classic evergreen pose emerging in skimpy bikini from the sea in the film 10 (1979)

2. In a classic case of spousal licence director Blake Edwards gave his prudish wife Julie Andrews a shocking new image in the film S.O.B (1981). He made the Sound Of Music diva reveal her breasts!

3. Sam Mendes takes the cake, though. In Revolutionary Road (2009) he directed his wife Kate Winslet with Leonardo di Caprio in one of the longest and most erotic love -making scenes ever filmed in a mainstream film.