28 January,2021 07:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Mohar Basu
A still from Four More Shots Please
It was frustrating for creator of Four More Shots Please, Rangita Pritish Nandy, who was on the brink of kicking off the third instalment of her hit show in Italy, when COVID 19 pandemic forced everyone into a global lockdown. In a chat with mid-day, Nandy recounts the months of the pandemic, and the changes they've made as the show's shoot finally kicks off in February. "We moved from Italy and thought of shooting in Vietnam, which was minimally hit. They locked down too. Amazon India even suggested we shoot in Nasik. I was quite certain that's not what I want for this season," she says.
Through the months of the pandemic, there were cataclysmic changes that happened with the new season of show. For starters, the new season that was earlier to be directed by Tannishtha Chatterjee will now be helmed by well-known ad filmmaker Joyeeta Patpatia. "With timelines constantly getting knocked around, Tan couldn't do this season. We ended up changing the director. Joyeeta then came on board and then it was a natural process of bringing in the value of life post-coved into the show's narrative. Emotions were heightened and we took that energy back to the writer's room. We are very clear about where the girls are in season 3 and 4 in terms of the narrative but some things had to be tweaked. Story arcs are similar. This is not Grey's Anatomy where they can't ignore COVID happening but at the same time, this show doesn't need COVID to propel the story forward. We had a strong conversation about basing it in post covid times. We have finalised the draft of the season. The shoot kicks off next month now."
With great clarity, Nandy is kicking off shoot with an elaborate Bombay schedule. "We start with Bombay followed by two outdoors. Europe stays and another elaborate one in India. Both of the outdoors have been snuck into the schedule's end. The reason we waited to shoot for so long is because we wanted to wait for more information. COVID is a black hole and the vaccination conversation is intense but I am aware it is still a while before we get the vaccine. The protocols of the last 10 months stay strong. Amazon US is tight fisted and didn't allow us to work till now. On any given day, we would have 200 people on set. We are looking at exhaustive amounts of testing. COVID compliance officers that Amazon has identified and helped us bring on board, is reassuring. Additionally, we will take our time. What we would have done over two months will now be done over four so we are not rushing against time. It's nerve wracking."
