Deven Bhojani on resuming shoot after Covid-19 shutdown: ‘Forgot my lines for the first time in my career’

Actor Deven Bhojani, who went back to the sets as shootings resumed after 100 days of the shutdown due to coronavirus pandemic, said it was slow going. The actor revealed he forgot his dialogues for the first time in his career as he was often distracted with thoughts related to safety concerns.

Deven told Mumbai Mirror, “As an actor, it was tough to focus on work and initially, I was forgetting my lines for the first time in my career. I felt my focus was being swayed each time I noticed anyone touching anything on set. It all felt like a bad dream. During the shoot, characters were positioned at a distance and physical touch was avoided as much as possible. A couple of network representatives were present on set too to ensure that safety precautions were taken and to call out those who unknowingly flouted rules.”

Speaking about what he is doing personally to ensure safety, he said, “I have learnt to do my own makeup during the lockdown so now I not only do my own make up but also carry the kit around for a final touch-up before the shot. On set, I found myself dabbing sanitiser on every surface I touched, from props and furniture to my makeup kit. I even sprayed the chairs before sitting on them and also sanitized the microphone before I pinned it on.”

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Getting back on sets, Deven had tweeted, “100 Days! Last I’d entered my house on 17th March after ‘Pack-up’ of my shoot. Today came out .. as I resume shoot i.e. exactly on 100th day. Pata nahi apne baare mein unnecessarily ‘What an Achievement!’ wali feeling feeling as rahi hai.. hehe..”

Deven also told the tabloid that scripts are also being changed to accommodate the new scenario post lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, “Scripts are also accommodating the current scenario. So while earlier we have had scenes featuring 12-14 characters at times, now most do not exceed 2 to 3 in a frame. Since the number of crew members were reduced keep up with suggested norms, the day’s output is lower than usual. But to meet telecast deadlines, screenplays are planned in such a way that we get to shoot a lot more double units which basically means shooting more than a scene simultaneously with fewer characters and small units.”

Keeping government guidelines and safety measures in place, producers have resumed shootings for films as well as TV shows.

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