After intense roles in Marzi, Betaal and Khuda Haafiz earlier this yr, Aahana Kumra has ended 2020 with comedy present Sandwiched Forever, which is streaming on SonyLIV.
In this unique interview with indianexpress.com, Aahana talks about net sequence Sandwiched Forever, capturing amid the pandemic and the yr passed by.
Excerpts from the dialog:
How did this mission come to you, and what made you say sure to it?
I believe this was meant to occur. I actually favored the idea of the present, and I used to be like, ‘This is a play.’ And coming from theatre, I so wished to do one thing like this for a very long time as we don’t get quite a lot of alternatives like this in movies and net exhibits. So, the audition occurred in January and the makers actually favored me, however one thing didn’t work out. Then the lockdown and all occurred. Something occurred in July, and I realised that I have to work for my staff members. That is once I began scouting for work, and this mission got here to me once more. I used to be eager on this, so I mentioned sure instantly.
How was the expertise of working with the gifted solid of Sandwiched Forever?
The solid was like a dream solid for me. Kunaal Roy Kapur has nice comedian timing. In truth, all different solid members have been nice at this style and so easy. I acquired to be taught quite a bit from them.
Only me and Atul Kulkarni had no expertise of engaged on a comedy mission earlier than. But I really feel we did a terrific job because the writers have been on their toes to clarify and convey the most effective out of us.
Also, the capturing days have been like a picnic for us with quite a lot of home-cooked meals round.
Sandwiched Forever stars Aahana Kumra, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Atul Kulkarni, Zakir Hussain, Divya Seth Shah and Lubna Salim. (Photo: Ahana Kumra/ Instagram)
The OTT viewers appears to have a keenness for crime thrillers. Are you apprehensive about Sandwiched Forever putting the chord?
There is quite a lot of effort wanted to make a sitcom like this. Writers don’t wish to try comedy because it takes quite a lot of work. With crime thrillers, there’s a formulation that works, however in comedy, the actors have to have correct rehearsals and perceive the story effectively then solely they will carry out. It shouldn’t be as simple because it seems. Family comedy is one thing that isn’t tried quite a bit in India.
Was the present shot in the course of the pandemic? How was the expertise?
There have been correct precautions on the units, and all of the COVID protocols have been adopted. One hair and make-up individual was devoted to just one artiste. This shouldn’t be occurring on many units. We truly shot one full episode in a day.
The solid was bubbled effectively with the least variety of crew members round. Obviously, the celebs had no distancing because the script required a little bit of hitting, beating, pulling, and intimacy.
You jumped onto the OTT bandwagon fairly early. How do you see the expansion of the OTT area?
Today, it’s good to see the way in which ladies are shining within the OTT area. There are so many roles being written for them, which continues to be not that many within the movie business.
What is your tackle the moderation of streaming providers?
I personally don’t suppose that censorship will occur for streaming platforms in India. I believe, as of now, let’s not take into consideration this too significantly. I’ll discuss it as and when it occurs.
How do you look again at 2020?
This yr gave me the chance to spend probably the most period of time with my mother and father and different relations. I believe that was probably the most valuable factor we acquired to expertise on this pandemic.
I realised that I’ve sufficient inspiration at dwelling and I don’t have to go on the lookout for it exterior my home. I additionally realised that I don’t want any type of validation from the remainder of the world to inform me how I’m and who I’m. I believe that is one thing all of us realised on this troublesome time this yr. I’d additionally wish to proceed engaged on myself. I like myself much more.
On the work entrance, what can we anticipate from you in 2021?
I’ve simply wrapped capturing for the Indian adaptation of the French present Call My Agent. This Shaad Ali present for Netflix stars me, Rajat Kapoor, Soni Razdan and Aayush Mehra. Each episode could have a Bollywood star. It can be a comedy however a bit completely different.
