Sanjeev Sharma is a scheduler with FilmFarm Productions’ show Uttaran on Colors. He started his journey as a clapper boy and went on to become Associate Director. Well …we are sure you’re wondering why a director went on to become a scheduler. There is an interesting story behind it. Sanjeev had dreams of climbing higher, but he hit roadblocks on the way and slid down the ladder. But that doesn’t mean he has stopped aiming higher. In a candid chat with Tellychakkar.com, Sanjeev unraveled his journey of life for our “Behind the Lens” section. Excerpts: Tell us about your job profile… As a scheduler I have to plan the shooting for the entire day on the basis of the screenplay. We can never have a precise plan in place, yet we manage to draw a rough outline. According to the outline, we inform the artists and the other people in the production team about the shooting schedules. Getting artist to report on time is not an easy job…we guess…your comments… It’s very tough. One has to plan for the telecast of the show hence, if the shooting time is at 9 o’clock and the artist is not available at that time a lot of things go haywire. So as a scheduler I have to convince the actors to be on time. At times it does not work but usually a scheduler and the artist share a very good relationship and we manage to get them on time. With me especially, since I have been with Uttaran for two years the artists know me well. Do you have any particular work timing? Our shooting time is of 12 hours on sets. But then as a scheduler our next day’s work starts only after the pack-up. We work till our body supports us. Tell us something about yourself? I have been in this industry for 14-15 years now. I joined the industry on 10 July 1995 as a clapper boy in a film. Actress Kajol was the lead in that film – Hamesha - and I had to clap before the scene. So the first time I gave a clap the chalk dust from the clap board went on to Kajal’s face. And the director yelled at me. This was when I learnt that we should clap the board once after writing on it with the chalk, before giving the final shot. So there on I kept doing a lot of films as a clapper boy. Then I became an Associate Director then a Chief Associate Director. So what happened later … when did you get into TV? I wanted to produce a movie. In fact I had everything in place for the movie but then just before we were to go on floors the producer passed away. So I gave up on films. Why didn’t you give yourself a second chance? I wasn’t that strong financially hence I couldn’t have afforded to struggle. One needs a source of income. So I wanted to get somewhere I could think of growth. While I was working as a director in films I used to also schedule. So I joined CID as an Assistant Director. After which I joined Beyond Dreams as a scheduler. You could have been a director in TV. Why did you choose to get into scheduling? I had stopped trying. I wanted to do something else and that happened to be scheduling. So have you given up completely on film making? I had given up back then, but I am working towards my dreams yet again and I am sure I will manage to get there someday. What should one do if he or she wants to be a scheduler? They must join the direction department. As that is the only way one can understand every other department. Any message for the youngsters… This industry is such where you have to mixed and involved. Don’t think and suume you can change things. Actors have to act and the telecast has to go. So all you can do is get better equipments but the basic things will be the same.