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Unlock 2.0: Celebs off to work meetings
The film industry is trying to get back to normalcy amid Unlock 2.0 — shoots may not have resumed yet, but actors are stepping out for work meetings with filmmakers. But all this is happening with face masks and other precautions firmly in place. Akshay Kumar was seen out for a meeting with the producers of his new film, Bellbottom. His co-star, Vaani Kapoor was also seen along with him. Meanwhile, dressed in a salwar kameez and face mask, Sara Ali Khan stepped out for a meeting with her Atrangi Re director, Aanand L Rai. She greeted the paps with a namaste and also said, “Aap log kaise ho? Sab safe ho na?”
It’s work mode for actor Nushrat Bharucha, too, as she visited the office of a top production company, with gloves on, for a meeting about a new project.
With the phase-wise unlocking of the country in effect, the entertainment industry has already initiated the process of getting back on its feet. The latest to join the league of Akshay Kumar is Adah Sharma who recently shot for a commercial.
It made for a rather different experience for the actor who shot with a crew of less than 20 people who were required to wear masks and face shields. Talking about her experience of getting back on a set after months, she says, “It was strange but I was excited. I recorded the episodes behind the scenes and shared the video on my video channel. I’ve never shot like this before. It was a one-day commercial shoot. I was accompanied with a male actor.”
She says it’s pertinent to follow the norms of social distancing while shooting but she expresses her concern about shooting for a full-length movie with multiple actors. Sharma shares, “After every shot, I would look at the director’s expression to see if he liked it. He was wearing two masks, a shield, a cap and a PPE suit. So, I didn’t know what he was thinking. I had to be careful about not touching things. We had to sanitise the script before picking it up and had to be alert about things.”
The actor says that she expects that new normal would be about giving a fair share of opportunities to all actors. “I would want to see a world where talent is given a chance. With films releasing on OTT platforms and good content being encouraged and watched, we might get to see a revolution that was waiting to happen. It’s sad that we needed a pandemic to change things.”
She reveals that the script for the commercial had to be tweaked to reduce risks. “The new scripts that are getting written may be changed a bit keeping in mind the safety of the crew and the cast. The human mind is very creative and I’m sure we will all adapt to the times,” she signs off.