Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; August 29, 2020)

When Tahir Raj Bhasin reached Delhi last weekend, it was unlike any trip he had made to his hometown. The Mardaani actor was in town to shoot for an ad – his first project since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out earlier this year. “Honestly, it doesn’t feel like I’ve come to Delhi at all. That’s because whenever I am here, there are a few places I always visit – Khan Market and Old Delhi are my go-to spots. I meet my family, my college and school friends. But this time, I’ve been staying in a bubble for the shoot. The entire crew has decided not to step out to ensure safety. Even when my family came to meet me at the hotel, they got their Coronavirus tests done first.”

However, the actor is ecstatic about being on set after five months. “Shooting after all these months gave me an exhilarating high. The lockdown made us pause and taught us a few things, but I was waiting to be in front of the camera again,” says Tahir.

The actor adds, “This is what I love doing and I don’t think there could have been a better sign from the universe that it chose Delhi for this. This is the city where I’m from and where I began my journey. It does seem like life is coming a full circle.”

A lot has changed on sets, Tahir informs. For instance, the size of the crew has shrunk. “Normally, the kind of shoot I am doing would have 120 people on set. Now, we have 50,” he says. In addition, everyone wears

masks, and stylists and crew members even have PPE kits, he says. The actor feels the entertainment industry has adapted to this new normal rather quickly. “Being socially distant is not something the entertainment industry was prepared for, but it has adapted very quickly,” he says, adding, “Sure, there are a lot of things that we have to do that we had never thought of, like working in masks and PPE kits on sets. But all that, while being physically discomforting, does give a sense of safety and psychological comfort. The industry has done quite well to adapt to all this so quickly. Already, script readings are taking place on video calls. The use of technology has been adapted very naturally.”

But does all this affect his performance? “To be honest, as soon as the camera starts rolling, magic happens. You forget everything happening around you and just go with the flow. While performing, none of this is in the back of my mind,” says the actor. The 32-year-old does miss the socialisation that used to take place on sets in the pre-COVID days, particularly during lunch breaks. The Chhichhore actor says, “Lunch breaks used to be a great unifying experience on sets because we’d all sit together. You would have people from different departments, sitting, chatting, and exchanging stories. Now, lunch is when we all take off our masks, so everyone is in some corner, sitting and eating alone. That is new and not something I like, but, it’s a small price to pay for being safe.”