Nushrratt Bharuccha: Shot another film with same studio, with zero cases

The actors on the first day of shoot

Nushrratt Bharuccha remembers her childlike enthusiasm as the ambitious project, Ram Setu, went on floors in Mumbai on March 30. However, the makers had to call time on the filming early on, as leading man Akshay Kumar and 45 crew members tested positive for COVID-19. Bharuccha, who, like co-star Jacqueline Fernandez, went immediately into isolation and subsequently tested negative, says it was unfortunate that a part of the team came down with the infection despite having adhered to the prescribed safety norms.

"It is scary when you go to a set that has so many people, but the production house [Abundantia Entertainment] took complete care of testing and sanitisation. Before kicking off work on Ram Setu, I shot another film, Chhori, with the studio, which was shot over 28 days and had zero cases. So, you succeed in some, and don't in others. But this is the second wave, and things were out of our hands," she says. Bharuccha emphasises that actors are probably the most vulnerable on set. "[When you're facing the camera], you have to forget that you are in the middle of a pandemic. Otherwise, you can't perform. You have to trust your team." While all shoots are suspended for the next 15 days, she is looking forward to resuming work on the Abhishek Sharma-directed drama that marks her first collaboration with Kumar.