TOI: Cheat sheet to deal with actor absence in Navratri-RD

Come Navratras, and TV actors are flooded with invites to make guest appearances at special Navratra celebrations in different cities. However, these celebs, who work in an industry already infamous for its extra-long work hours, confess that the festive season has them slogging it out even more than usual to make up for the time lost flying to places like Gujarat, Rajasthan and MP for these events. On the other hand, the makers of TV serials have branded the next four-month festive period as a 'production nightmare'. Here's a glimpse of the jugaad producers and actors do to make that Navratra show appearance happen.

Shift show's focus on parallel track Since this has become an annual ritual, the makers of these TV serials try to find alternative solutions to the problem. For instance, they shift the focus to a parallel track in the show to make up for the absence of the lead actors. Aashka Goradia aka Maharani Dheer Bai of Maharana Pratap says, "This year, I will be visiting Bhuj, Rajkot and Indore for Navratra celebrations. I have also spent a lot of Navratras in America. Once the show's over, the actors are lost, but it's times like this when you really get to know about your popularity. All the producers know that this is the time when actors are supposed to travel and they make adjustments accordingly. For instance, in my soap, the focus is currently on the Mughal track, so it's easy to manage at the moment. Also, actors usually inform the production houses a month prior to the festival."

From the airport, we head directly for the set Rashami Desai, who plays Tapasya inUttaran, adds, "TV is a medium where every week, you are making a new film. Seventy per cent of the time, actors try to make adjustments. Most of the time, it happens that we head directly from the airport to our sets and start shooting. This year, I have plans to visit Rajasthan, Varanasi and Gurjarat for Navratra celebrations. Thankfully, my producers have been quite co-operative."

'I am not going anywhere' There are many times when actors have to refuse such offers owing to their hectic schedules. "I was invited to be a part of Navratra celebrations in Ahmedabad and Surat, but I had to refuse the offer. At present, we are shooting a high point in my show, Balika Vadhu, where the focus is on my character, so I couldn't afford to put it at stake. Also, at present, the shooting hours are quite hectic, so I decided to give it a miss this time," says Shashank Vyas, who plays Jagya in Balika Vadhu.

We make do with close-up/back shots From Ganpati to New Year, it's a difficult time for TV serial-makers since, in addition to dealing with the absence of their actors, they have festival sequences planned for the show as well. "It's a sort of double pressure for us. However, we try towork out a middle path. Hina, who plays Akshara on our show Yeh Rishtaa Kya Kehlaata Hai, usually travels for such events and we try to make adjustments for her. We try to create a bank of episodes and shoot important sequences in advance. Also, the other actors have to pitch in because there are times when we might show some other sequence. If things don't work out, close-up shots and back shots are the last resort," says Rajan Shahi, producer of the show.

Navratras mean longer work hours It's no secret that TV actors have to sweat it out on sets for long hours, but their shifts stretch on even longer during the festive season. "I don't think I will be able to put in more than two-three appearances this year, owing to the hectic work hours. I am still deciding where to go. So far, I have invitations from Kolkata and Gujarat for the celebrations. This year, somehow, the process of finalizing dates for the festival got delayed. Usually, we inform the production house in advance about the same. However, if I do travel for these functions, that would mean putting in extra hours of work. For instance, if I am shooting for 12-14 hours a day, I will have to shoot for 16-18 hours to attend these functions. In any case, when we travel for these functions, we don't go home from the airport. Instead, we head directly to the sets," says Rithvik Dhanjani, aka Arjun of Pavitra Rishta.

His views are endorsed by Manish Goswami, producer of Kaisa Yeh Ishq Hai... Ajab Sa Risk Hai, who says, "We can manage if the actor is not there on the sets for one or two days, but if the absence extends to four days, it becomes tough. So, what we do is that we ask the writers at least three weeks in advance to write a few more episodes. This ensures that we have a bank of episodes and we also try to complete the shooting in advance."