If Shweta Basu Prasad had her way, she would have teamed up with Madhur Bhandarkar in 2005. But destiny had other plans. Almost 17 years on, the actor-director duo have collaborated on India Lockdown. “He had approached me for Traffic Signal after watching Iqbal [2005]. At the time, studies were [my priority], and my parents had put a hard stop to acting. After years, when he approached me for India Lockdown, I fell in love with the subject,” says the actor.

In his latest release, Bhandarkar examines the March 2020 lockdown through the lens of the marginalised sections of society. Prasad plays a sex worker in the ZEE5 offering that also stars Aahana Kumra and Prateik Babbar. To understand her part better, the actor went to Kamathipura.

“Mehrunissa [her character] is bright and has a never-say-die attitude. My main focus was on building the person. The story was already well-researched. I met a few sex workers, observed their mannerisms, body language, and make-up. That helped me build a structure for my role.”

Bhandarkar may gravitate towards intense subjects, but Prasad says one “must not fall for his reputation as a serious filmmaker”. “He has childlike energy and a great sense of humour. In between shots, we’d [chat about] movies.”