Bheed’s Sushil Pandey: Shooting with thousands of people on set was challenging

The Rajkummar Rao and ‎Bhumi Pednekar starrer also marks the actor’s third collaboration with director Anubhav Sinha

The actor played Kanhaiya in Bheed

Anubhav Sinha’s Bheed - starring Rajkummar Rao, ‎Bhumi Pednekar and Pankaj Kapur - has been widely appreciated. The narrative chronicles the plight of migrant workers during the Coronavirus-induced lockdown in 2020. Actor Sushil Pandey - who plays Kanhaiya in the film - says that preparing for his character did not require much preparation, because the “wounds are still fresh in people’s heart and mind”.

Known for his work in movies like Maharani Anek, Article 15, Super 30, Jolly LLB, Jab We Met and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Sushil is seen essaying the role of a loyal driver in Bheed, which also features Dia Mirza, Ashutosh Rana, Kritika Kamra and Veerendra Saxena.

Also read: Bheed Review: Anubhav Sinha’s film is frightening and heartbreaking to witness, Rajkummar Rao shines

Speaking about how he prepared for his character, Sushil said, “I think there was not much research or preparation needed, because we all have seen and experienced that brutal scenario. Wounds are still in our heart and mind. So the moment I reached the set, I could get into the skin of the character. The biggest challenge of making this film was to shoot with a large number of people, because we were replicating scenes from the lockdown when thousands of migrant workers were walking back to their respective villages.”

Adding to that, the actor said, “Anubhav sir was very particular about every shot of the film. Whether it's about performance, location, set, cameras or costumes, he wanted everything to be close to reality. Yes, the challenge for the actors was to remember their mark and shoot continuously. It was really very confusing, because there were thousands of extra actors on set.”

Also read: Bheed OTT release date: Where to watch Rajkummar Rao-Bhumi Pednekar film after its theatrical run

Bheed also marks Sushil’s third collaboration with Anubhav. Speaking about his rapport with the filmmaker on the set, the actor was quoted saying, “As usual, there was food, fun and laughter every day. It was a hectic shoot because of the nature of the story, but after we packed up we had chaat counters, kebabs or barbeque on set almost every day. This is my third film with him and I'm sure many more to come.”

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