I Didn’t Have Any Work When the Lockdown Began: Abhishek Banerjee

Actors Abhishek Banerjee and Ishwak Singh talk about how ‘Paatal Lok’ changes their acting careers.

Abhishek Banerjee and Ishwak Singh in Unpaused.

(Photo: Amazon Prime Video/Altered by The Quint)

New beginnings, a search for hope, and thinking about life amidst the coronavirus pandemic is what drove the cast and crew of Unpaused to make an anthology film despite a pan-India lockdown.

Director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, Nikkhil Advani, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Avinash Arun, and Nitya Mehra came together to shoot five short films during the lockdown. Each was filmed in compliance with the Maharashtra government's SOPs issued once COVID-19 lockdown restrictions gradually began to be lifted in the state.

Abhishek Banerjee, popularly known for his portrayal of Hathoda Tyagi in web series Paatal Lok, said it was essential for him to understand the mindset of a migrant worker under these difficult circumstances. "When the lockdown started all of a sudden, I didn't have work and I didn't know when I will get work," he told The Quint.

Nikhil Advani's short Apartment features Richa Chadha, Sumeet Vyas and Ishwak Singh. Ishwak Singh, who was also seen in Paatal Lok, says that the lockdown has given him life experiences that he can feed on for his acting assignments. Singh plays the role of someone who crosses paths with a woman while trying to commit suicide.

Watch the video to find out more.

Video Editor: Veeru Krishan Mohan