Rajshri Deshpande: There’s no looking back now that I have resumed work

Actor Rajshri Deshpande say that while work has begun in full swing in the industry, restrictions exist largely.

Actor Rajshri Deshpande is back to work full time, with a web film that also stars Jimmy Sheirgill. It’s after almost an eight month gap that she got the chance to be on a set, and she naturally sounds relieved.

Actor Rajshri Deshpande started shooting her new project recently.

“People have started choosing areas where they can be with a smaller crew and follow protocols and social distancing. I decided to go ahead, and said let’s take a chance. Now there’s no looking back, as there are back to back things. In the lockdown, a lot of projects were supposed to happen. All are happening in these months, and suddenly the whole issue of how do we manage dates has started,” says the 38-year-old.

She goes on to say that work has begun in full swing in the industry, but restrictions exist largely. “Our team is following all the protocols. We aren’t big in number, and being responsible. We are shooting across Shimla, Chail and Nainital. Everything has started, of course,” she says.

During the lockdown, with no other means of entertainment, the online streaming platforms enjoyed a free run. And this has led to a massive change, within the industry too, feels Deshpande. She herself believed in the potential of such platforms when she starred in Sacred Games, largely believed to be the show which ushered in the OTT craze in India, and now this web film.

“Definitely, we are looking at how whatever material is going out, we have to be responsible. Everyone is working hard to create stories, and platforms are bringing in new directors and actors. It feels great, and when you look at the journey of Paatal Lok and Scam 1992’s Prateek Gandhi. All of them had a project mounted… people are going ahead and choosing actors according to roles and how hard they can work. They are mounting projects on newcomers, who is a great actor but maybe not a star or social media star,” she says.