With socialising a strict no-no on the set, how actors making most of their me-time

Actors Rupali Ganguly, Sharad Malhotra, Ratan Raajputh, Adnan Khan, Rohitashv Gour and Rishina Kandhari share how they are spending free time on set these days when they can’t socialise with their co-stars with social distancing norms in place.

A buzzy set with cast and crew enjoying free time over food, gossip and laughter in between shots is now a thing of past. With social distancing norms in place, the scenario now is about lesser people, no sitting or eating together. Owing to the Covid-19 crisis, actors shooting for TV shows are now supposed to keep to themselves safe and isolated, when not facing the camera. From reading, practising guitar, exercising, writing, singing, to playing with strays, actors tell us how they unwind during breaks now when they can’t socialise on the sets.

Rupali Ganguli, Sharad Malhotra and Ratan Raajputh says they read, write, play with strays, among others things to unwind during breaks.

Rohitashv Gour

Rohitashv Gour

Earlier we’d spend lunch breaks together, talking about theatre, old classic shows on television and travel experiences. But now, we spend time in our rooms, reading books, watching videos on our phones, or improvising our lines for the next shot. I’m currently reading Harishankar Parsai’s Hasya Vyanga. I love reading books on comedy and poetry, it just lifts my spirits up. It also inspires me to write scripts for my plays and at times aids in improvising my scenes in my show too.

Rishina Kandhari

Rishina Kandhari

Now that we aren’t allowed to spend time on the set after the shoot gets over, so we prefer retiring to our rooms during shorter and longer breaks and avoid socialising. I usually watch a lot of Rajasthani songs and other videos. The character I’m portraying in my show speaks Rajasthani, so I watch these videos to learn and improve my dialect. I’ve also started learning guitar and harmonium and I’ve kept both my instruments in my room, on the set. Whenever I get some time, I practice my chords or learn to play a new track in the harmonium.

Rupali Ganguly

Rupali Ganguly

This set is relaxing enough, but it does get stressful when we have to can certain number of minutes. Thankfully our co-actors are good and we usually talk from a distance in between our shots. But in case of longer breaks, I usually spend a lot of time with stray dogs we have on the set. There are seven of them that we all take care of. I play with them and have named them, too. The leader of the gang, Gabbar, often accompanies me to my room and sleeps there. I also enjoy singing to myself and keep learning new songs. There are a lot of books on the set for us to read and I just love reading.

Sharad Malhotra

Sharad Malhotra

Unlike earlier when we could spend so much time with each on the set, catch up on everything happening in our lives, eat and laugh together, the scenario is totally different now. The pandemic has left us with little or no choice, and as actors, too, we’ve to strictly maintain social distance on the sets given it;s the new norm to be followed by one and all. I’m a sucker for music and during breaks to keep myself engaged or unwind, I usually end up strumming my guitar chords which is de-stressing and relaxing too. I’ve been religiously carrying my instrument on the set.

Ratan Raajputh

Ratan Raajputh

Lunches used to be a space where the whole cast would be able to sit down together, enjoy and share meals, interact with each other in a casual setting. Unfortunately, now due to Covid-19, we all have to follow specific protocols. We’re assigned vanity rooms, where we eat our lunches and our free time in isolation. I enjoy writing stories and poetries, so I’m doing that. I’ve also been writing scripts, doing a lot of research, developing new content, brainstorming ideas for my YouTube channel. In a way, I find time to do something that I enjoy.

Adnan Khan

Adnan Khan

With social distancing in place, since we co spend time with our co-actors or crew members the way we used to. So, I ended up spending a lot of time with myself during spare time. I started working out. I did a lot of functional training. In my room, I had a pull up bar, resistance bands, weights kept, so I mix and match my training sessions. I also did free hand exercises, push ups, pull ups and sprints. I also tried to master the hand stand. Beside, I also did my prayers as that had a calming effect on me. I had also started reading.

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Author tweets @Shreya_MJ