MUMBAI: The Covid-19 pandemic situation has changed a lot of practices in the world and also in the television entertainment industry. The number of people in the crew has come down, the stars are doing their own hair and makeup, everything and everyone is getting sanitized before entering the sets.

And now, as Dangal TV is all set to launch its new show Aye Mere Humsafar, the cast talks about the digital twist in the pre-production process. The narrations, rehearsals, readings; everything took place virtually. They say that one big benefit of taking things digital, was how the whole cast was present for every character’s reading sessions and narrations. This helped them bond a little more and also better understand their dynamics with every character.

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Talking about a unique experience about meeting his colleagues on Zoom call for the first time instead on the set, Namish Taneja (Ved Kothatri) said, “It was a very different arrangement for me as I had never done such digital meetings. Generally briefing meetings in the past happened physically and individually. Since this was the first time, I did a group Zoom call, I wasn’t aware that I wasn’t the only one for the narration and the entire cast and crew was on the call too. During the call, at times, I was so lazy that my colleagues took screenshots and shared the same with me jokingly. In all it was an enriching experience and saved a lot of time and avoided the initial effort we would have taken to warm up to each other when we met on the set. I feel this is a good practice and we should make it a norm going forward.”

Tina Philip (Vidhi Sharma) who plays the lead role, says, “It is important to feel comfortable with your co-actors and the zoom calls were helpful in that way. We also had readings, workshops and a dance rehearsal before we started shooting. I'm so glad I'm working with actors who are not just talented but also down to earth and fun to work with! I truly feel blessed.”

"Before the shoots for the show started, we all interacted over Zoom calls to understand our characters, got narrations about the story and had dialogue reading sessions and so many things. I had never done something like this before. It was an unreal feeling for me when I realized how technologically advanced the world has become. We were 7-8 people on the call and we used to say our dialogues, others would suggest where we went wrong and what could be done better. The sessions were really fun and interactive and I believe we should always do them," says Neelu Vaghela (Pratibha Devi) who plays Namish’s mother in the show.

Pooja Singh (Divya Kothari) shares her experience and says, “The producers and Director had planned these Zoom meetings so well that when we met for the first time on set, we did not waste a single minute in asking the director how a certain dialogue should be delivered (keeping in mind the relation with the other characters). Everybody was not only aware of their own character but also got a chance to understand the role of all other actors, the chemistry the character has with each other. I really enjoyed the whole experience and I feel this is the best way to brief the entire cast all together”

The pandemic seems to have its own pros and cons.

Catch ‘Aye Mere Humsafar’, very soon, only on Dangal TV.

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