A recent video of actor Riva Arora (12), in which she was seen romancing 38-year-old actor Karan Kundrra, left social media users infuriated. They blasted Arora and her mother for the choice of her role. Amid all this, actor Avika Gor, who also began her career as a child actor, weighs in on the controversy.

Gor recalls, “When I did Sasural Simar Ka, I was paired with Manish Raisinghan, who was 18 years older than me. However, everyone in the team — including the writers — were clear that there wouldn’t be a romance [or any other scene] that seemed out of place. Everything was within limits. None of my scenes had any intimacy and they (makers of the show) respected the fact that I was a 14-year-old.”

Now 25, the actor talks about the time when she and the show’s creators faced criticism for casting her opposite a 30-year-old male. She continues, “Age becomes a concern when scenes start looking vulgar and start becoming unhealthy for the kid. All kinds of things about the pairing were said, but the only response the writers and I had was — there is no vulgarity or intimacy because of the fact that I was young.”

Citing the example of the film Paa (2009), in which Vidya Balan played Amitabh Bachchan’s mother, she adds, “Age shouldn’t matter if things are done respectfully,” she concludes.