Lights, Camera, Action! From home 

Hussain Kuwajerwala (Jai in Sony SAB’s Sajan Re Jhooth Mat Bolo)
“It was fun to take over the functions of a cameraman, DOP and the sound team all by myself”
 
Shooting for the first time in this new normal was a good learning and at the same time an exciting experience. Taking care of all the details without the crew for help was extremely challenging. Things like finding the right lighting, the ideal angle and also handling the camera. Since all the artists shot the episode from their own homes, we all relied on the cues given to us through a zoom call. 
 
Kuch Smiles Ho Jayein…with Alia is an exciting initiative by Sony SAB where they have curated fresh content to spread smiles during these testing times were hardly any new content is coming up on TV for the viewers. The struggle while shooting the episode virtually was when the internet would lag and you miss the cue. While performing, you need to focus on the camera but since you also need to focus on the instructions which are given via a zoom call, so initially it would result in divided attention which was visible on your face. But overall, the experience was new and exciting.
 
Pavitra Punia (Timnasa from Baalveer Returms)
 
“I didn’t know it was possible to shoot from your phones and produce a show on TV”
 
"It felt really good shooting for Kuch Smiles Ho Jayein…with Alia. Initially, I was wondering how is it possible to shoot from phones and produce a show on television? However, on watching the final episode, I felt that it was all worth the effort. The episode was amazing and it was overwhelming to see myself back on screen with fresh content. I have been missing being on shoots but with Kuch Smiles Ho Jayein…with Alia, we got to bring new and interesting content for our viewers. After shooting for this episode, I can’t wait for shoots to resume and shoot fresh episodes of Baalveer Returns as the storyline has some exciting plots in-store for the viewers."
 
Gulki Joshi (Haseena Mallik from Maddam Sir)
 
“I realized that I forgot to turn my camera on after shooting for 30 minutes”
 
Being a part of Sony SAB’s Kuch Smiles Ho Jayein…with Alia was a delightful experience. It was something I had never experienced before. Shooting for the episodes came with a lot of challenges but I feel it was an experience which I will always remember. There is a lot that goes on to shoot an episode of the show, we all connect over a zoom call where each artiste gets their cue. While it sounds easy, there were several struggles like your phone battery running out, internet lagging, resolution trouble and more. So, it took me some time to get hands-on with the technical aspects but it was an experience worth having. One such goof-up that happened with me while shooting for the episode was when we all had already shot for 30 minutes and I realized that I forgot to turn my camera on and we had to start all over again.
 
Dev Joshi (Baalveer from Baalveer Returns)
 
“It is not every day you handle your household chores while shooting for the episode”
 
Kuch Smiles Ho Jayein…with Alia was the much needed shooting experience in this new normal. I have been missing being in front of the camera for a long time now and this was a new and innovative opportunity for me to be a part of. All the artistes connect over a video call where we are given cues for our lines by the team and behind the scenes, we also ensured that we have fun while recording. Shooting at home gave me a chance where even my family got involved in helping me roll the camera or manage the setting. So, this is another addition to my dearest memories of shoot life which I shared with my family. This was the most unusual way of shooting as we could see our co-actors doing their household chores while waiting for their cue. This experience was not only great for me but for my family as well who got some exclusive BTS access.