Actor Prateik Chaudhary on shooting for his debut film Band Baaja Murder: Lucknow’s peace helps me perform my best

Actor Prateik Chaudhary calls Lucknow his favourite work destination. He finds the city very peaceful, which allows him to work with full focus

Actor Prateik Chaudhary calls Lucknow his favourite work destination. He finds the city very peaceful, which allows him to work with full focus. “Shooting in Lucknow for my first film has been simply overwhelming,” shares Prateik, who after his last television daily, Tose Naina Milaike (2024), wanted to start another show when the offer came as a surprise. “It came out of syllabus but made me extremely happy. Though television is and will be my first priority, I feel it's always good to let the actor in you explore and experiment to the best of their capabilities. This film will help me evolve in my craft."

Actor Prateik Chaudhary (Deepak Gupta/HT)

Having played lead roles in shows like Sindoor Ki Keemat (2023), and Paramavatar Shri Krishna (2017), Prateik was in Lucknow to shoot for the digital film Band Baaja Murder.

“The film is a drama-thriller based on honour killing, which is, of course, a topic of concern in today's scenario,” he explains. The shoot was a start-to-finish schedule with locations in and around Lucknow, especially in the suburbs. Prateik believes, “The city’s peaceful environment helped him perform to his best capability, and this will reflect on screen when the film is released.”

Prateik is also set to appear in a new series. He describes it as a “micro drama show” where Korean dramas are adapted with Indian stories and characters. “The Elite is ready to be out whereas the film is in its post-production,” he states.

Ayodhya calling

During his visit to Lucknow, Prateik also fulfilled his dream of visiting the Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya with his co-stars Sanjay Gangnani, Nishi Yadav, and Swati Sharma.

“It was like a dream come true to be at the Ram Temple finally,” he says. He describes the experience as “out of this world,” especially standing before the “towering and majestic Ram Lalla idol.”