Kunal Kohli: Why can’t sex education be a part of parenting?

A still from the series

It was only when Kunal Kohli was offered Hiccups & Hookups that he binged on its source material, the popular American show Casual. After breezing through the series, the director was clear that while a few plot points could be retained, Lionsgate Play's maiden Indian original would be a new universe altogether. "We have added our desi flavour," says Kohli of the Lara Dutta and Prateik Babbar-starrer. "We added more characters and changed a lot of the story. Writer Indira Bisht and I also decided [on having a new title]. The series had to have a conversational world, but the world has moved to a point where we hardly talk to each other. Dating happens on apps, so that culture evolution had to be reflected."

Kunal Kohli

The director has borrowed the original's laid-back flavour even as he tackles subjects of sexual identities and preferences. This, while keeping the modern-day family - comprising a single mother, essayed by Dutta, and her commitment-phobic brother, played by Babbar - at the centre. "We say family is most important. But when we have to talk about sex, we run to friends. I want my family to feel like friends. Even at this age, I change channels if my mother enters the room when I'm watching an intimate scene on screen. A parent must develop a bond where they can give sexual advice to their children. If sex education is a part of schooling, why can't it be a part of parenting?"

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