Posted:
LIGHTS, CAMERA, FAINT!
Working round the clock takes its toll and no one knows it better than television stars. Harshada Rege finds out how they cope with stress
While TV actors are earning big bucks and lots of fame, their hectic schedules seem to be taking a toll on their health. The recent case of Roshni Chopra fainting on the sets of her serial has brought into the limelight their unhealthy
routines and hectic working hours. It seems working long hours without complaining has become a prerequisite for actors in Tellywood. But most actors agree that they have no one to blame but themselves. With long working hours and no breaks, shooting schedule for TV actors can stretch to as much as 18-20 hours a day. Most actors say that schedules are a lot hectic when a serial is launched.
Iqbal Khan, popularly known as Angad, says, "When Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai was launched, we used to work for 24 hours. But now the shooting schedules are much better. Nowadays, we work from 9 am to 9 pm, which gives me time to do other
things. But even now I take only one or two days off in a month and I don't even think of long holidays." Actor Shilpa Saklani-Agnihotri agrees, saying, "The problem is that as newcomers, actors don't know how to handle their schedules. Also, when a show begins, a production house has to make a bank of episodes. Hence, one has to comply with the production house. Today, I make sure that I work only from 9 am to 9 pm."
Other actors too, who have learnt a lesson the hard way now take at least a day off in the week. Rakshanda Khan, who was hospitalised in 2005 due to fatigue, says she refuses to work after 9 pm and takes a weekly off. "There was a time when I used to get off a flight and run to the sets. Obviously, the unhealthy
lifestyle caught up with me and I had to be hospitalised. After that I see to it that I rest well," she says.
Ronit Roy, who stars in two dailies and also runs a company, says he too has had health problems. "Around two years back, I fainted on the sets of one of my serials. But now, I do a lot of yoga and keep myself fit. Actors have the choice of opting out. hence they cannot blame the production house," he says.
But not everyone is lucky enough to get a day off. Both Iqbal and Shilpa rule out the possibility of a weekly off. "With a daily soap, you just can't afford to get a weekly off. Even when I take a day off it is generally spent in doing other work," says Iqbal. Shilpa, on the other hand, tries to match her schedule with husband Apurva Agnihotri. She says, "Both of us try to take two to three days off after every 15-20 working days. We try to finish our pending work on one day, while the other is devoted to resting."
