Weather seems to be playing truant, as far as the overworked daily soap actors are concerned, with many of them falling sick. Latest in the long list is Ayaz Ahmed, lead actor of Santoshi Maa. The actor had apparently been suffering from viral fever, and continued to shoot, despite his bad health. The stress took a toll on the actor, and he fainted on the sets. The shoot came to a standstill and the crew immediately rushed to his aid and summoned a doctor on the sets.
Says a crew member, “Since we don’t have a bank of episodes, there’s pressure on everyone to complete the shoot, no matter what the situation is. We don’t have the luxury of taking days off and tending to ourselves, even when sick. Ayaz’s situation is much more demanding since he plays the lead. Even though he was running a high temperature, he had no option but to shoot. Beyond a point, his body gave up too and he fainted. We all rushed to help him and called a doctor. He advised Ayaz bed rest and told him to get some blood tests done. We’re hoping the tests don’t show signs of dengue. We told him to take an off, but he paid no heed and continued shooting.”
Confirming the incident, Ayaz said, “I had high fever, but I still went for the shoot because I didn’t want to trouble anyone. I was administered medicine and then I rested for a while. I resumed shooting later because otherwise the show would’ve suffered. At the end of the day, it’s my work and I’m dedicated towards it.”
