On the First Day Shoot of ‘Undekhi’, Ankur Rathee Lock Lips with Adah Sharma!
Undekhi actor #AnkurRathee is gearing up for his next release, #ReetaSanyal and opens up about his first day on the sets of the show. In a career first, Rathee dons the Khakee, playing a dedicated yet whimsical & playful police officer alongside Adah Sharma who headlines as a lawyer.
Speaking about the first day of the shoot Ankur said, “I only had a few hours after landing in Mumbai before I was rushed to the first day of shoot. It was a whirlwind! They were cutting my hair, stylists tugging at my clothes, a tailor measuring too close to my crotch, an AD taking pictures of my new look, my producer explaining his vision for the character, my director reading through the day’s scenes with me. My vanity van felt like a circus that first hour and I was overwhelmed to say the least. As I flipped through the pages, I found three more reasons to freak out. The first scene of the day to be shot was mine, which was my character’s last scene. I would have to keep my character’s entire emotional arc in mind when I’d barely even found the character yet. Then the second scene of the day was also mine. And that was my character’s first scene in the show. That first impression with audiences is very important so imagine shooting the first scene of the show right on the first day? Then to top it all, there is only one kiss in the entire show and they also scheduled that scene also right on my first day itself. I hadn’t even met Adah yet and now I’m supposed to kiss her!?
The jet lagged actor was bombarded with his character’s last scene, first scene and the only intimate scene in the show without any time to process but the pro actor in Ankur breezed through the task at hand and it all worked out.
He added, “Of course it helped that when I finally met Ada, she was delightful. Professional and charismatic. I’ve done many intimate scenes in my career and I’ve realized their success lies greatly in the trust and creative comfort you build with your co-star. Both came naturally with Adah. Any awkwardness we felt disappeared in the face of our creative discussions about why our characters are kissing, what does this mean for their relationship and what physicality would best serve the scene. It ended up being a very sweet and effortless moment”.
Ankur concluded by saying, “It was only later I found out that Ada was freaking out a little too that day. When asked about her first impression of me she said she was too preoccupied by the fact that we would be kissing in a few hours to really formulate an opinion. We actors lead very unconventional lives and I’m grateful I’ve had such great co-actresses on this wacky journey”.
Slated to drop on Disney+ Hotstar on 14th October, Reeta Sanyal is a thriller with a diverse range of emotions, starring Adah Sharma, Ankur Rathee, Rahul Dev and Manik Papneja. Directed by Abhirup Ghosh and produced by Rajeshwar Nair, this series is a captivating adaptation of a character created by novelist Amit Khan, merging elements of fantasy and entertainment.
Ankur Rathee has carved a niche for himself in the industry with a string of memorable performances and powerful screen presence. He was last seen in the critically acclaimed Undekhi Season 3 where his character, Daman has received a lot of praise. Rathee has also proven his acting chops with a range of roles in Shehzada, Four More Shots Please! and Taish navigating genres and formats.
By Keerti Kadam