Abhishek Banerjee on shooting at Maha Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj: Every day was an adventure; we were improvising everything

Ever wondered what it must be like to shoot a film in the middle of crores of people? Ask actor Abhishek Banerjee, who wrapped up the shoot for Maha Sangam at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (UP) last month, and he says it was a “blessed experience”.

“It was a rare experience for the entire crew, as no one had done anything like this before. As actors, we are used to silence and isolation on the set,” the Stree (2018) actor says, adding, “Par yahan hum log shor ke saath acting kar rahe the. I feel there was a divine intervention. We did the shoot without any VIP culture — ek aam aadmi ki tarah.”

So, how much planning went into a shoot like this? He shares, “We had done all the planning and had a storyboard, too. But as we started, everything went for a toss. Any planning in such a crowd is just impossible. Every day, we used to have some adventure.”

Abhishek recalls, “I stopped thinking beyond the scenes. Throughout scenes, shots, frames, locations and portrayal, we were improvising. It turned out to be a kind of docu-fictional film, as we documented all that was around us and fictionalised it.”

Filming in the middle of milling crowds is no mean feat. So, how did they manage to pull it off? “The shoot does generally get disturbed when there are so many people around. Some may walk in to shake hands, and others may try to disturb the cameraman. But, fortunately, the people there were understanding. They were all on a mission to take a holy dip. Isiliye manage ho gaya,” the 37-year-old smiles.

“We shot there for eight days. Before that, we shot in Varanasi for a few days. Though it got too crowded around Magh Purnima, it was still manageable,” he adds.

Dwelling on the significance of the mela, Abhishek muses, “Kumbh ki kahani hai about family and relationship. This mega festival gives learning to every devotee. The characters in the film, too, get a kind of learning.”

Asked what the film has to offer and why it is sure to resonate with people, he explains, “I guess, for the first time, the people in India and abroad alike will watch a film on Kumbh. The film was earlier titled Khoj, which suggests that kabhi kabhi insaan bhi apne aap ko kho deta hain. So, this is a khone aur paane ki kahani.” Besides, the actor is all praise for the man who is helming the project: “Our director, Bharat Bala, is a legendary filmmaker.”

How has shooting at the mela influenced Abhishek? ”Bahut saalon ke baad apne desh se rubaru hua hoon. I saw people from all over India and abroad in one place. These 7-8 days will remain in my heart for a long time,” the actor adds.

He will be next seen in OTT series Rana Naidu-2, in a guest appearance in Rajkummar Rao-starrer Toaster and Vipul Shah’s Hisaab with Jaideep Ahlawat and Shaifali Shah.

“Also, I love diversity in my roles so be it playing a character from Rajasthan in Veda, Jana from Madhya Pradesh in Stree 2 or Varanasi-lad in this project, helps me from playing similar characters,” he ends.