Manit Joura the talented and versatile actor who is presently playing the role of Rishabh Luthra in the numero uno show Kundali Bhagya that beams on Zee TV is upbeat and happy about the shoots and telecast of GEC shows on television resuming.
Zee TV came up with the unique ZEE’s #13thKiTayaari campaign and this clutter-breaking outdoor innovation seeing collaborative forces between top-rated brands is innovative for sure.
At the outset, we had an exclusive talk with Manit Joura who shared his journey with the show, on the safety precautions on set and much more.
Excerpts:
Three years to Kundali Bhagya. Congrats to that!!
Absolutely!!! I started shooting for Kundali Bhagya on 7th July three years back. So you can say, glorious three years!!
Talk us through this memorable journey?
There is nothing that is not memorable from the show. I think right from the very first promo, things have been great. The lockdown, in fact, has been very memorable for us. We used to connect through the video calling and have even shot from our homes. The bond that we share, I, Shraddha, Dheeraj, Anjum and everyone is exemplary. We are all enjoying our work and that resonates in the end product. The makers have been very supportive and kind. The channel has been great. Overall, Kundali Bhagya, in a nutshell, has been a very nice experience. I am grateful to the audience for supporting us.
How excited are you now with the resumption?
We are excited with the resumption now. The #13thkiTayaari has been great, and we are all set for a relaunch. We are back with the same energy levels, same storyline, same acting skills. We are charged up after the break we have got.
You actors shot from home during the lockdown. Tell us about that.
Honestly, it was a learning experience to shoot from home. It was hectic. The challenge was that you are your own spot boy to Producer. You need to do everything on your own. And after the shoot, we had to upload the footage also. So all this was a challenge and we are happy to have passed that phase. But I hope I never get to shoot from home again (smiles). I love it to shoot from the set.
Honestly speaking, actors act for people and not for themselves. Personally, talking about myself, my energy gets doubled when I am shooting on the set. You will not believe me if I say that the cameraman is my first audience. Right after the take, I look towards the cameraman. I look at his eyes and understand how the shot went. If he is happy, my work is done well. I work like this actually.
Take us through the storyline now?
The storyline is focusing on Rishabh’s kidnap and how he will get out of the entire chaos and how the family will save him will be the crux. It is going to be entertaining. We are trying our best to keep the excitement level high.
How is it to shoot amidst all the precautions to be taken?
That’s the toughest at the moment!! We Indians are lively and express ourselves in a loud way. We love to stay tuned with people. We have been conditioned like that. So it gets difficult at times to maintain social distancing. Also, actors need to shoot without masks. There was one scene between me and Dheeraj where it was difficult for me to not touch him, or hold him. So I made sure that I have my hands sanitized before touching him. In a similar way, there was one moment when he had to touch my face, but he did not as he had not sanitized his hand.
However, slowly and steadily I believe we will incorporate this in our working style. As long as safety is concerned, all is being taken care of on the set. The staff is properly wearing PPE kits. These are big shoutouts for people working behind the camera. It is difficult to wear PPE kits and masks the entire day. I am very happy that I am working in an atmosphere where all are there for each other. There is no dip in the energy levels of everyone on the set. This is the vibe of Mumbai; we are high on energy.
How did you spend your leisure time during the lockdown?
I have a small farm close to Mumbai. I have a couple of horses there. As soon as the lockdown was announced in March, I did not know how long it was going to be. So I went to the farm as we were given 10 days off from work. I was spending time with my horses. I forgot about my workout and normal life. I lived with nature and with my horses. I had a friend of mine who came over there to give me company. We were involved in farming, cooked our own food etc. After that, I came back to my house in Mumbai as my brother was alone. That was when the intensity of the situation worsened and we stayed at home for the next few months.
Hear you were involved in a social cause during the lockdown.
I am a dog lover and when I saw the stray dogs in my area crying and wailing at nights, I got to know of them starving. I have a friend who is a volunteer for an NGO and with the help of him, we helped to feed the stray dogs in the areas of Borivali, Kandivali and around. It was a good experience and I learnt a lot.
Lastly, your message to your fans
I thank the audience for being our support. We perform for our audience and just request our audience to come back and watch us again and again. We are returning for you all during these testing times. It is a difficult job taking the risk that we are taking. The show must go on as Mr Raj Kapoor has said. So here we are to keep you entertained. Please watch the shows, all the shows in fact and encourage all of us to give our best. As for Kundali Bhagya, make us Number 1 even now. Make us feel that it is worth taking the risk and worth living the moment.
