No tea breaks on sets, sourced my costume & jewellery: Khushi Shah

“It is so refreshing and exciting to be back at work!” exclaims Affraa Taffri actress Khushi Shah who is currently in Ahmedabad gearing up for an upcoming short film Kya Ukhad Loge and Full Stop, a multilingual action film, for which she trained rigorously before and during the lockdown. Khushi talks about her experience of shooting with all safety norms in place and more.
Thermal check and Home-cooked meals for all
Temperature check before entering and leaving the sets is now mandatory.The sets are sanitised twice in a day; before the shoot begins and after the pack up. Crew members have to strictly wear a mask all the time; as for actors we have to put on our mask immediately after every shot. One of our team members gets home-cooked food and refreshments for all. For team members who live with elderly family members, there’s provision for separate accommodation. They have re-created sets used for shooting portions which were originally meant to be shot in London. Few crew members have also been put up there. They will get back home once the whole schedule is wrapped. The crew members are not allowed to take tea breaks together.

My stylist, makeup person wear PPE suits on the set
My makeup and hair person wear PPE suits before they start work. All the products are sanitised at regular intervals. I sourced my own costume and jewellery for both my films. From nuts, dry fruits to Gujarati nashto, I keep these nibbles handy so that I don’t have to depend on outside food. My crew member gets me home-cooked food on the sets. Although I was initially sceptical about resuming work, now I am fine with it.
I am now staying in a hotel
It’s not easy to be always on alert and concentrate on your dialogues. While I’m slowly getting adjusted to the new routine, staying away from my family becomes tough at times. Right now, I am staying in a hotel in Ahmedabad. One needs to work to be visible. Working now may not be the same as before but we all will certainly get used to it. Luckily I have some interesting projects lined up. So, I’m concentrating on the brighter and positive side of life.