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When Pranutan Bahl experienced a moment of epiphany
Titas Chowdhury
Pranutan Bahl recently wrapped up the shoot of her second film, Helmet, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Ask her if she was less nervous facing the camera this time around and she says, “I was nervous, but it was an amazingly positively nervous energy where I kept hoping that I perform well to the satisfaction of my director. I’m generally nervous before a shot and I want to give it my best.”
The Notebook (2019) actor’s quite overwhelmed by the city of temples. “One thing about the city that stayed with me was the Ganga aarti. It makes you feel at one with yourself completely. There’ve been very few times in my life where I was in complete awareness about my being. The Ganga aarti was beautiful and surreal and it got me so emotional,” she shares.
It was the first time that Pranutan visited the city and she confides that she fell in love with the way of life there.
“One thing I discovered about Varanasi was the importance of prayer. In places where we live, we don’t do that very often but out there, praying and visiting places of worship is a part of their everyday routine,” the actor says.
Her upcoming film is the latest to join in the trend of films being set and shot in the heartland. Talking about it, she elaborates, “Off late, a lot of films that are being shot in the heartland of India are working at the box office and are resonating with the audience. These places have some connection with everybody residing in India. Having said that, I believe that it’s not the location where you shoot that matters. Whether a film is set in the heartland or outside India, the story needs to work.”