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How actors balance Ramzan and work: From sehri and shoot calls
Actors balance shoot-schedules and travel, emphasising peace and spirituality during Ramzan. Despite the challenges managing work and team dynamics on set
With the holy month of Ramzan in full swing, Bollywood celebrities are gracefully balancing their spiritual commitments with demanding professional lives. From remote shoots to relentless travel, these stars share how they find peace, discipline, and a sense of community by breaking fast with their working family, even amidst the hectic work schedule.
Zareen Khan
Balancing shoot, travel and business, the actor-entrepreneur shares, “For me, it’s a wholesome month of peace and spirituality. This year, it’s multiple things happening. I don’t have a fixed shoot schedule, and that’s more challenging for me because a lot of work-related travelling is keeping me busy, along with my business. When I am shooting, I try to bring my team along to have a decent spread and bring everyone available on the set together. The big shift is more about my workouts, which surely take a change, but the rest of it remains manageable.”
Sharib Hashmi
Currently in Kashmir, shooting for an independent film, the actor shared a picture from the sets, saying, “After quite a few years, this is a working Ramzan for me. Though it’s difficult to be away from family during Ramzan, this year I had no way to escape work. I feel I can get the best of both worlds, as I am currently fasting while working. The best part is my production team has become like family for this Ramzan. We all wait to share that hearty meal during Iftar. The only thing I am always concerned about is making it in time for prayers.”
Eijaz Khan
The actor who is currently shooting in Dubai for a vertical, on the lines of a Bollywood film based on friendships, says, “My production team and crew are all my friends, so I’m happy that this year blessings are pouring in along with good work. Also, as I have been sticking to eating within an eight-hour window a day, the fast is easily managed this year. For me, however, what matters most is the spiritual aspect of Ramzan, where focus, self-discipline, and empathy for others take the forefront, even while I am shooting.”
Aasif Sheikh
Giving us a glimpse from the sets, the Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! actor shares, “The past few months have been challenging for me health-wise. But when it comes to Ramzan, the month is not only about food. The resilience and self-control the month brings along are something I am always learning and working on as a human being. The day I am breaking my fast on the set, thoda bahut ghar ka khana, I take along and that’s my iftar too. I love to share it with the team as well.”
Nasirr Khan
The actor who is currently working on the sets of Tum Se Tum Tak says, “On Ramzan, while working, I always try to carry enough to share with everyone, actors, directors, spot boys, sab ne mere ghar ka khaana khaaya hua hain. That is the leagcy I got from my father, the late Johnny Walker, who, while acting, used to take food for 40-50 people everyday. When I am shooting, during Iftar, the entire unit gets together irrespective of religion and whether one is fasting or not (see right). That is the beauty of Ramzan and our industry, sab sath aa jaate hain roze ke time pe aur ek alag sa sama ban jata hain.”
