Kubbra Sait's Wakaalat From Home is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.Actor Kubbra Sait wishes her latest web series Wakaalat From Home, shot over Zoom calls during the lockdown, inspires more people to experiment in terms of filmmaking. The show, also starring Sumeet Vyas, Gopal Datt, Nidhi Singh and Akarsh Khurana, revolves around a couple whose divorce hearings take place over video calls due to the lockdown.
In an exclusive chat with indianexpress.com, Kubbra got candid about Wakaalat From Home, playing a lawyer with a twist, and more.
Here are excerpts from the conversation:
Q. What was your reaction when the show was offered to you?
We always believe we have things under control. But when this show was offered, uncertainties and fear were surrounding us. So, with this show, all our excitement and senses came back. We were so happy to work with each other. For me, working with Sumeet (Vyas) is like homecoming. I’m a huge fan of Gopal Datt. So when you get such an opportunity, you don’t let it go. I’m so glad I could make it happen.
Q. What kind of prep went into playing a lawyer?
When we go out to shoot on a set, we have so many mediums to get into the skin of the character. But here, we were at home. So the set-up, the clothes and everything belonged to Kubbra and not Rajni Tacker. When you are able to perform despite limitations, I think that’s fun.
Every character is so uniquely crafted and everyone has got such underlying agendas all the time, so to bring everything together was a challenge in itself. When you watch it, you’ll realise that as sane as Rajni looks, she isn’t actually like that.
Q. What were the challenges involved in shooting at home?
Thank god we had Rohan (Sippy) directing us, who made us redo the scenes if we went wrong. We did have a sense of reality. We weren’t being like a bunch of last-benchers. We used to get our script, read it the entire night, rehearse in the morning and then perform. We used to shoot an entire episode in a single day. That was interesting, exciting and challenging. Honestly, I had no time to say I’m scared of technology, though I really am. I freak out if the WiFi goes, and here we worked for hours on Zoom.
Q. When you work with friends, do things become easy?
When you are working with friends, all the inhibitions go. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Work becomes fun.
Q. How was it cracking the comic timing on Zoom calls?
It’s difficult. If ever the call dropped or we missed the punchline, or the person who had to react, didn’t react, we had to do the whole thing again.
Wakaalat From Home stars Kubbra Sait, Sumeet Vyas, Gopal Datt, Nidhi Singh and Akarsh Khurana.
Q. Do you think going forward in the post-Covid world, we’ll see more online divorces?
Maybe. When we have online marriages nowadays, divorces can also happen. I just hope childbirth doesn’t start happening online!
Q. Is keeping the humour element always relevant a difficult task?
It is very difficult. So many times, I would ask people around – “Did you get it?” Thankfully, I didn’t have too many outrageous things to do in the show.
Q. Do you think Wakaalat will bring some relief amid the heavy duty content on web?
I think it should. The beauty of Wakaalat is you are looking at all the characters at the same time. What I found particularly fun was we all were in the zone when we were performing.