Recently, Nimrat Kaur wrapped up the schedule of her upcoming film Dasvi in Noida. The actress, who is returning to Bollywood after five years with this film, has shot in various locations in India and abroad during the course of her career. However, this was the first time she shot in her hometown, Noida. She spoke to us about how it felt to be back home, to have her family on set and the experience of shooting post-pandemic.

While shooting in Noida, Nimrat says she was hit by a sudden realisation — “I thought, ‘Oh God! I have shot everywhere in the country, but I have never shot in Delhi or Noida!’ It’s actually a mystery to me, how all these years I never shot for any film, series, or even an ad, in Noida. We have lived there for over 26 years now. It is my hometown. I have done my schooling there and my family still lives there. So, filming in Noida was an amazing experience,” she tells us, adding that the icing on the cake was having her folks on set. “These are such extraordinary times, and so it feels amazing to even be shooting. What makes it even better is to be doing that in my home town with my family visiting me on set,” she adds.

Since this was the first time her family was ever visiting a film set, Nimrat says their reactions were a sight to behold.

Nimrat adds, “As I was shooting in Noida for the first time, I was like they must come on set, as they have never seen me shoot before. It was so lovely. I was so amused to see their reactions. They had no idea how much hard work goes into shooting, how many times one has to repeat their lines, and how things keep disrupting shots — like flies, the heat or somebody’s phone going off. My mother very innocently said, ‘I thought it was like a play, and you just watch’ (laughs!). I was like, ‘it’s nothing like a play’. She couldn’t believe that there were so many people involved in the process. It was so hilarious for me. My folks loved it, and we all had a wonderful time.”

Talking about shooting amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, Nimrat says, “This shoot was pending for the last three months, and I was just waiting to come back to it. Most of us are vaccinated and everybody is doing what they can to be safe. I feel that while we should not throw caution to the wind, at the same time, one needs to try to come back to some form of normalcy, and we can see everyone the world over trying to do the same.”

Has the pandemic changed the set in any way, apart from enforcement of safety protocols? Nimrat says, “Everyone is careful on set. People are not chit-chatting. You do your work and you are back in your vanity van. Work-wise, nothing can change on a film set, but we miss hanging around and the social part of the shoot. However, we have to be careful."