Divya Pillai in Kala (2021): The Smoke Kiss With Tovino Thomas Is Going Viral Again

By Nico Grey · Published Nov 9, 2026, 1:24 PM (BKK)

He exhales, she breathes it in, and then the kiss. Five years after release, Divya Pillai’s scene with Tovino Thomas in the Malayalam thriller Kala is all over X again. A 41-second clip posted on 4 November 2026 passed 460,000 views and 3,400 likes. ^[1]

Divya plays Vidya, the wife of Tovino’s Shaji, in Rohith V.S.’s 2021 film. The bedroom and kissing scenes were the most talked-about part of the film when it came out. Divya has since said she almost refused to shoot them. ^[2][3][4]

WHAT IS THE VIRAL DIVYA PILLAI KALA SCENE?

The clip opens tight on both faces. Tovino’s Shaji pulls on a cigarette and blows the smoke toward Divya’s lips. She breathes it in, and they kiss. The scene runs slowly, lit by a green rain-soaked window. A second post calls it the scene where the “theatre erupted.” ^[1][5]

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WHAT DIVYA PILLAI SAID ABOUT FILMING THE KALA SCENES

Divya has been open about how hard it was. She told Onmanorama: “I was worried about doing the intimate scenes. I wasn’t sure how to act intimate with a person whom I was not close to, in front of the camera.” Director Rohith V.S. told her it was “just another emotion like anger or sadness.” ^[3]

Her description of the shoot itself is the least romantic thing you will ever read about a kiss. “Even while filming the kissing scene, we were bothered about being favorable to the camera,” she said. They were performing in front of a camera operator “holding a camera that weighed 75–80 kilos. That, I think, was the real challenge!” ^[3]

She told Kerala Kaumudi, as Filmibeat reported, that her first reaction was to worry whether her parents would like it. Her father told her to “think big.” Her mother said, “if you believe in it, do it.” ^[2]

Tovino had his own doubts. He told Behindwoods, as DoolNews reported, that he asked the director whether a couple of the sequences could be dropped. The answer was no, because they are part of who the character is. ^[4]

KALA (2021): CAST AND STORY

Kala, which means “weed” in Malayalam, is an action thriller directed by Rohith V.S. and written by Yadhu Pushpakaran and Rohith V.S. Tovino Thomas plays Shaji, a privileged young man, and Moor (Sumesh Moor) plays the migrant worker who arrives on his land looking for revenge. Lal plays Raveendran, and Divya Pillai plays Vidya, Shaji’s wife. Akhil George shot it and Dawn Vincent composed the score. Tovino also co-produced. The film released in March 2021 and later streamed on Amazon Prime Video. ^[5][6][7]

Divya told Archyde that Kala was a turning point and brought her web-series and Telugu offers. ^[8]

For more Indian screen heat, see Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma’s viral Lust Stories 2 scene, Lust Stories, Lust Stories 2, Bombay Stories and Four More Shots Please!. Plus Priyanka Chopra.

FAQ

Which movie is the viral Divya Pillai smoke kiss from?

Kala (2021), a Malayalam action thriller directed by Rohith V.S., with Tovino Thomas. ^[5]

Who does Divya Pillai play in Kala?

Vidya, the wife of Tovino Thomas’ character Shaji. ^[6]

Did Divya Pillai want to do the intimate scenes?

At first she did not. She said she was uncomfortable and changed her mind after long talks with the director. ^[3]

Where can I watch Kala?

It streamed on Amazon Prime Video after its theatrical release. ^[7]

SOURCES

[1] @YoursNGK11 on X, 4 Nov 2026: https://x.com/YoursNGK11/status/2118022408020136297

[2] Filmibeat Malayalam: https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/divya-pillai-opens-up-about-herself-and-tovino-thomas-romantic-moments-in-kala-movie-073139.html

[3] Onmanorama: https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2024/06/02/actress-divya-pillai-reveals-dating-life-former-relationship.html

[4] DoolNews (Tovino to Behindwoods): https://www.doolnews.com/actor-tovino-about-movie-kala-454.html

[5] @PKBeastvijay on X: https://x.com/PKBeastvijay/status/2109843182330786270

[6] Wikipedia, Kala (2021 film): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kala_(2021_film) · IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12687276/

[7] OTTplay, Decoding Kala with Tovino Thomas: https://www.ottplay.com/interview/decoding-kala-with-tovino-thomas/538

[8] Archyde: https://www.archyde.com/even-the-director-got-scared-after-hearing-my-question-divya-pillai-on-the-intimate-scene-in-kala/

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