Durga Puja, Madh Island, and My Bengali Ad

An offer during Ashtami

This Durga Puja, I shot my first ad in Bengali, a language I don't speak. It was one of the hardest days I've had on a set, and it taught me something I won't forget.

The offer came during Ashtami. At first I wasn't happy with the remuneration, so I held back. The production came back with a better number, and I said yes.

Puja plans vs. a shoot day

The shoot was the very next day. The confirmation came late, and by then I had already made Navami plans with my Bengali friends. I wasn't ready to drop them, and for a moment I thought of letting the ad go.

Then I decided to do both. The team adjusted my call time, so I could join my friends for the Navami annadanam lunch at the Country Club in Lokhandwala. After lunch, I headed to the location and reached Madh Island before my call time.

Two languages, one changed script

I was a little nervous walking in. The dialogue was in Bengali, and I hadn't had enough time to prepare. So I reached out for help to Sujoy Kar, a Bengali filmmaker, and Husne Shabnam, a Bengali actor.

The ad was being shot in two versions, Hindi first and then Bengali. The Hindi version went smoothly and took no time at all.

The Bengali version was another story. The script was changed on the spot, and suddenly the lines I had prepared were no longer the lines I had to say. That's when the panic set in. I needed time to learn the new dialogue, so once again I turned to my Bengali friends for help.

Five hours of waiting

It was a two-actor scene. Because of the Puja, the actor they had first finalised backed out at the last minute. The production arranged a replacement, but he could only reach the set after 10:30 at night.

That meant I waited for more than five hours. I didn't want to waste that time, so I spent it practising my lines again and again.

When the lines disappeared

Even after all that preparation, I went blank during the shots. Lines I knew perfectly a few minutes earlier simply vanished.

A shot like this normally takes 10 to 15 minutes. Mine took 20 to 25. Every retake made me more nervous, and the nervousness made the next take harder.

But I kept going, take after take, and finally I got through my part. It was a real struggle, and I'm proud I didn't give up.

What I learned

I've made a decision: I won't take on work in another language until I'm truly confident in it. Speaking lines in a language you don't know is not just memorising words. You have to feel them, and that needs time.

If you're an actor and you get a regional-language offer, here is what I'd suggest:

• Ask for the final script early. Ideally a day before, and make it clear it shouldn't change on shoot day.

• Request a language coach on set. A native speaker between takes saves a lot of retakes.

• Write the lines in a script you can read. Transliterate them into Devanagari or English, and mark where the stress falls.

• Record a reference. Have a native speaker record the dialogue so you can listen and repeat while you wait.

• Lean on your people. I couldn't have done it without Sujoy and Husne.

This Puja gave me a Bengali ad, a long night on Madh Island, and a lesson I'll carry to every set from now on.

Nishant Dhanaanjayy, Actor, Filmmaker