MUMBAI: Abhishek Verma is all relaxed and happy to be shooting in Mumbai again. The actor, who plays the role of Shobit in Sonali Jaffar and Amir Jaffar’s Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha, shares that there is a sense of peace and security when one get back home amid these trying times. As soon as lockdown was announced in Mumbai due to the surge in Covid cases during the second wave, the cast and crew of many Hindi daily soaps were moved to Goa, Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli  for over two months. With things getting back to normal, the state government has allowed shooting to begin in the city following proper SOPs. This decision saw many makers coming back to their sets in Mumbai.

“The pandemic has affected everyone’s mental health. In such times, staying close to our loved ones matters most. But yes, shooting outside Mumbai was fun too. Given that we are not allowed to travel much, an outdoor shoot is heaven. So, the change was good. But we were shooting most of the time. Also, for safety reasons exploring any other area outside the resort was not an option. So, we chose to refrain ourselves from stepping out unnecessarily and were happy to stay together. Our bond became stronger. We ate together, sat for hours to talk and chilled together. But we were missing home. Also, Mumbai is Mumbai. It’s been my home for many years now. Just not being in the city made me homesick,” he says.

The show introduced new twists and turns to keep audiences entertained and also to match up with the shift in location. “We are very happy and lucky that our work is being appreciated and the audiences adapted to the change. These times are tough, it’s risky to go out and work no matter what profession you belong to. I’m just very happy that we don't back out or compromise on anything in terms of our script. We made sure we took 100% safety precautions and we made sure we gave our work 100% and I guess the audience did appreciate it,” he says.

Praising the producers for keeping no stone unturned to ensure their safety and for smooth functioning, the actor adds, “Our producers (Sonali and Amir Jaffar) were extremely vigilant. They made sure everyone was tested from time to time. All the precautions were taken. They even made sure not just the actors but everyone from the team whether makeup, costume, light dept, everyone was vaccinated. I also want to say not just outdoors, even now that we’re back, it’s mandatory that we are tested from time to time and they make sure everyone’s in the best of health.”