Lights, SHIFT, Action!: Why daily soap actors are shifting closer to the sets

When Ranveer Singh, who stays in Bandra temporarily shifted to Goregaon for two months during the shoot of Bajirao Mastani in Film City, it grabbed attention. Even Deepika Padukone, who resides in Prabhadevi, booked herself in a hotel next to her shooting location for the same film. Both wanted to concentrate on their titular characters and not waste time in going to and fro from the location to their homes. Harshvardhan Kapoor moved out of his house for a month to stay in isolation because his character in Bhavesh Joshi is that of a loner. On TV, too, several actors have shifted bag and baggage to the place of their shoot or temporarily moved to a location closer to their sets to focus on their roles and save time on travelling. While Salil Ankola and Juhi Parmar (the lead actors of Shani), Shaleen Bhanot and Sneha Wagh of Sher-E-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh have moved to Amgaon, where the shows are being shot, others like Kanika Maheshwari (Diya Aur Bati Hum), Shivangi Joshi (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai), Rytasha Rathore (Bado Bahu) and Akshay Mhatre (Piya Albela) have shifted to an apartment close to the sets.

Home away from home

For Salil, the temporary set-up in Amgaon has become his second home. “We are here 22 days a month and my wife Ria keeps coming here though my daughter doesn’t really love Amgaon. No doubt, it’s a tough life, which is why I was apprehensive getting on with the show. But now after putting in so much hard work and the serial doing well, it’s worth it,” he says. Also, since he was a cricketer, Salil is used to staying away from his home and doing the laundry, cleaning and cooking himself. “There’s even a gym outside. Also, they have given us an apartment and made arrangements for our food. I have got a full-fledged kitchen, as I cook a lot, a sofa, TV, microwave, etc. When my wife comes, she cooks for the entire team and they love her for that. Only difference is, earlier I used to be roaming around the world and go to places like New Zealand and now I am in Amgaon,” he says laughing. His co-star Juhi, considers her apartment at Amgaon, her first home now! “After shooting for 12 hours in a day, it is not possible to go back to Mumbai travelling for four hours. There’s no point in reaching home at 2 am and then wake up at 6 am to travel to the sets. So, this apartment which has been set up according to my needs has become my home,” she says.

Tough life

Sneha, who is staying in Amgaon, looks at it as part and parcel of her profession. “It’s become like a corporate set up. The way people, after MBA, go abroad for jobs, we shift to wherever our serial is shot,” she says. Her apartment is still being set-up and she is currently living in a hotel. She plans to get her mother to help her set up the house once she gets it. “I have always lived with my family, so I’m finding it difficult to do everything on my own here. Also, there’s no life here as it is practically a village,” she rues. Even Juhi finds it tough, emotionally, as she has a four-year-old daughter Samaira, who she leaves behind with her parents. “It’s very difficult to stay away from her. She comes and meets me on weekends and I take a break on weekdays to see her so that we meet at least four days in a week. But when I was doing a double role it wasn’t possible. Initially, she also would cry a lot when I was leaving for the shoot, she has adjusted now,” says Juhi.

Akshay, who stays in Navi Mumbai and has rented an apartment in Goregaon close to Film City where Piya Albela is shot, has found it’s taking a huge toll on his health. “I shifted around a month ago. I am so used to having ghar ka khaana that living on my own, eating just Maggi, eggs and outside food is leading to an unhealthy lifestyle. I am getting a maid soon to cook for me. Hopefully, things will improve then,” says Akshay.

For Kanika, shifting permanently from buzzing place like Lokhandwala to Mira Road hasn’t been easy at all. “I was shooting for Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and then Diya Aur Baati Hum at the same location. In between, I got married and pregnant. When I was in the third month of pregnancy, my husband suggested we shift to Mira Road, as it was becoming difficult for me to commute. It was a tough decision for me because in Lokhandwala, I would get anything and everything, but here it’s not so, though now things are changing. Also, I would socialise a lot more in Lokhandwala, here it’s almost nil. I miss it a lot,” says Kanika.

The pros of shifting

Despite the hardships of staying away from home, actors prefer the move as they get to catch up on their beauty sleep and don’t get tired. “I get enough time to rest and that really shows on my face in front of the camera,” says Akshay. Kanika is happy that she gets to eat “garam garam khaana” at home because it is just a stone throw’s away from her set. “I am eating right and following a proper diet. I don’t feel tired even after pack-up at 9 pm as I am not wasting any time travelling,” she smiles. Rythasa, who used to travel for over four hours from Worli to Madh Island for six months, decided to shift closer to the sets as she found she would be tired all the time. “I told my parents it will be better if I shift as I can get more rest. They agreed, and now I can watch TV or movies, relax and focus on other things,” says Rythasha. No wonder, Abhishek Malik (Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi), who resides in Goregaon is hunting for a place near Malvani where the set is. “We work long hours and travelling does take a toll on a person, so I hope that I get an apartment soon,” he says.

Win-win situation

Of course, directors are all too happy with actors staying closer to the sets. It helps when actors report on time for the shoot, looking fresh and energetic. As Rajan Shahi, who is producing Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, says, “Performances depend a lot on the actors’ comfort level in personal life. If they are less stressed about things like travelling, and get good sleep it shows.  The fact that they can go home and finish their chores during a break makes them feel better. The efficiency improves on several levels.”