Shweta Tripathi Sharma: Fear of Covid was playing on our minds

Filming Escaype Live in Benares till mid-April, Shweta Tripathi Sharma on how makers called off stint in light of rising cases

While she understands the need for the junta curfew in the state in this moment of crisis, Shweta Tripathi Sharma says the artiste in her is itching to go back to the set. She was shooting for the technological thriller, Escaype Live, in Benares till mid-April before the rising cases in Uttar Pradesh made the unit do a rethink.

“It was 40 degrees when we were shooting there. As actors, it has been physically and emotionally draining because we can’t wear masks [in front of the camera]. We shot for barely two days, after which Siddharth Kumar Tewary [creator-director] decided to postpone the shoot because human lives matter more. The fear of Covid was constantly playing on our minds,” says the actor, who shares screen space with South star Siddharth in the 10-part web series that examines the dark side of social media.

Directors Tewary and Abhishek Sengupta had kicked off the shoot last December in Umbergaon. After the first leg progressed smoothly, a 12-day Benares schedule was drawn up. Tripathi reveals that the first four days were dedicated to workshops, post which they began filming while adhering to stringent safety norms. “On set, we maintained social distancing, and there was constant sanitisation. The DoP [Vishal Sinha] ensured that actors didn’t touch anything while filming a scene. For a cafe sequence, I had to pick up a glass from the table. But he asked me to do away with that gesture, thus minimising the risk.”

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