| Puneet Issar and Aparna Tilak in Left Right Left | Panic engulfed the sets of the SAB show Left Right Left on Friday evening. A short circuit on the sets at Chitrath Studios, Powai, led to a blaze causing chaos. The shoot eventually had to be called off for the day.
Minor fire
The daily, produced by Tony and Deeya Singh, is currently canning a freshers' ball sequence that requires elaborate sets and lights. It is learnt that the short circuit was caused due to an electric overload.
The entire cast, including Rajeev Khandelwal, Puneet Issar, Priyanka Bassi, Ghazal Rai, Aparna Tilak and Vikas Manaktala, were present during the incident.
The fire began around 6.30 pm when the unit had stopped for a break. It was contained immediately with the fire-fighting equipment available on the sets.
Says director Anshuman Singh, "As we were taking a break, there was no shot being canned when the fire broke out. The actors were therefore scattered all over the sets. But the exact spot where the fire erupted had a few actors in the vicinity. There was panic and people began running.
Ghazal was panic-stricken, but Puneet came to her rescue immediately. It was a minor fire that was brought under control immediately. No one was injured. Only the electrical installations were damaged."
Puneet, the hero
It is believed that as fire-fighting equipment was kept handy on the sets it could be contained immediately. "It is just that due to the commotion and panic people started running; I was worried that this could cause injuries but luckily everyone was safe," adds Singh, who earlier directed the SaharaOne daily, Kituu Sabb Jaantii Hai.
Adds Aparna Tilak, who was also present on the sets, "We were having tea when suddenly we heard people yelling. At first we thought some unit hands were squabbling, but suddenly we saw smoke and the entire place was engulfed in darkness. It was very scary. Everyone started running helter-skelter. Puneetji kept us calm and was the real hero. He took control of the situation and told everyone not to panic. All of us just bolted out of the door."
Shocked
Apparently the fire exits of the studios are via small doors that caused great panic among the unit folks as everyone rushed towards the door. Besides the electrical equipment, some parts of the sets were also destroyed.
"We all packed off for home immediately, as the place was full of smoke. Moreover, we were all in a state of shock," adds Tilak. |