KHADE RAHO!
Saat Phere's Tara collapses on set after working for 14 hrs a day weeks on end, but her director gets unit hands to prop her up and continues shooting with her
Sapana Patil Poojary
Gruelling hours and physical fatigue are nothing new in television industry but India's soap factory touched a new low when Ashlesha Sawant who plays Tara in Saat Phere on Zee TV collapsed from overwork and was propped up by three colleagues so that she could continue shooting.
As three unit hands propped up an almost inert Ashlesha, director Vijay Pande canned a shot where the entire family has gathered to accuse Tara of not producing an heir. Needless to say the actress who had been shooting 14 hours a day for weeks, looked suitably traumatised. Only in this case she was not acting.
"While shooting this scene, she collapsed and passed out. This threw the entire schedule out of gear. We are always under pressure to submit the tapes within a specified time and her passing out at that moment really got us worried," says Pande by way of explanation. He was then forced to come up with an ingenious plan. "As Ashlesha didn't have the energy to stand up by herself we thought of getting some unit hands to help her stand. We made three people support her, from the sides and from behind. Later we camouflaged the unit hands, so the final effect is that of standing by herself."
Shooting this scene was a difficult task, goes on Pande. "We had to shoot it in such a manner that the people who held her did not appear in the frame. So when we took long shots, we had to have her surrounded by the other actors in the scene," says Pande.
Television's frenetic work pressure has taken a toll on many an actor. Some years ago actress Sakshi Tanwar too had collapsed from fatigue. "Insensitivity in this industry is a reality and one must face it. In other jobs one colleague can substitute for another, if he or she falls sick but it doesn't work that way here," says actor Sharad Kelkar who plays Nahar in Saat Phere. "Even when my wife Keerti's (also an actor) father expired, both of us had to report for shooting the next day. Our job is very much like soldiers in the army. We have to continue working come what may," he adds. In this case too despite he ill health Ashlesha herself agreed to do the scene.
"Her condition was really bad," says Pande. "She did not have the energy to stand and she even had difficulty breathing. She would stand for a while, then sit down again and take deep breaths for some time. She could barely keep her eyes open. In fact, we called for an ambulance and had a doctor by her side all through the shooting," he adds.
Reflecting on how insensitive and ruthless the medium has become, Pande says, "It is not actors alone, even technicians work under tremendous stress and pressure. But there is no option, because the show must go on."
So how did the team think of this idea of shooting with her held propped up? He replies, "The moment was so crucial that we just reacted immediately."
Meanwhile, Ashlesha Sawant's mother rushed to Mumbai from Pune on Saturday to take her daughter back with her. The actress is now in Pune, recuperating at her parent's place. Talking about the incident, she says, "I had lost weight recently and was very, very tired that day. I was also dehydrated."
Ironically, instead of feeling victimised, the actress actually expresses gratitude that she was left off within an hour of her collapse. "The producers, Sunjoy and Comall Waddhwa were very sweet to me. They agreed to complete the shoot and free me in an hour's time, after I collapsed," she says.
WHAT THEY SAY
Neither the channel nor the producers intend to be cruel to us. They too are helpless. We work on tight deadlines. So we do have to work 24/7 sometimes and this can take its toll on our health. But it is up to every committed actor to take care of his health and avoid illnesses. Aditi Pratap (Aditi)
We work under erratic schedules. There are always last-minute changes in schedule. Often we arrive on the sets only to know that the script is yet to be approved by the channel. We keep waiting for the script to arrive and then begin shooting for the next day's telecast. Punam Gulati (Shubhra)
| Ashlesha could barely breathe while shooting and there was an ambulance on standby in case she needed to be carted to a hospital |
| Three unit hands propped up an almost inert Ashlesha as director Vijay Pande canned a shot. The actress, who had been shooting 14 hrs a day, looked traumatised |
