The Making of Raat Baaki Hai: Annup Sonii, Rahul Dev And Dipannita Sharma Share Their Experiences Of Shooting The Film During Pandemic

Raat Baaki Hai, the upcoming ZEE5 film, starring Annup Sonii, Paoli Dam, Dipannita Sharma, and Rahul Dev, is all set to premiere on 16 April. The film had begun shooting near the end of last year. With the whole pandemic scenario affecting everyone’s work and lives, we wanted to know how the film was shot during that time and asked three of the four main cast members about it. So, while you wait for the release of this mystery thriller on ZEE5, read what the actors Annup Sonii, Rahul Dev, and Dipannita Sharma shared about the experience of making this film and about shooting during a pandemic.

Annup Sonii’s Account

Annup Sonii in Raat Baaki Hai will be seen playing the role of the protagonist, Kartik. He has also played the role in the play, Ballygunge 1990, which inspired the plot of Raat Baaki Hai. About the making of the film, he said, “It’s based on the play that I have been doing since the last one and a half year. So I knew the script very well. In fact, I was a part of it from the beginning. What was surprising to me was how well our writer Siddharth Mishra converted this from a play script to a film script. He kept the plot intact and got more characters and made the film very gripping.”

About shooting in Rajasthan, in the middle of a pandemic, Annup Sonii said, “There was a certain fear in the atmosphere because this was the first long schedule we were shooting for during the pandemic. We all had decided to go to Rajasthan to shoot the film as we also needed a ‘fort look’ for the film. And the whole crew was tested before shooting. We also decided that no one would leave the city where we were shooting, before finishing the shoot, and that we all would leave only once the shoot was completed, to reduce the risk of infection. We tried to maintain all precautions,” Annup Sonii said.

Since the film tells the story of a night, it was also shot accordingly. About this, Annup Sonii said, “The shoot cycle was very different for us because 99% of the film is shot at night. So we used to shoot from evening 6:30 to morning 7. Then we used to sleep from 7 am till 3 pm in the noon and then begin shooting at 6:30 pm, again.”

Also read: 6 Films That Are Set In A Span of 24 Hours Like Raat Baaki Hai, Hotel Mumbai

Dipannita Sharma’s Account

Dipannita Sharma in Raat Baaki Hai plays the role of Vaani Kapoor, the woman who gets mysteriously murdered, which sets off a series of misadventures. About the making of the film, she said, “It was near the end of 2020, we were shooting amidst a pandemic, and we were shooting in Ranthambore. And before we visited the city to begin shooting, we did all the meetings and discussions for it on a Zoom call, and then we met directly on the set. The location was a beautiful place. A stunning fort. And everyone in the cast was working with each other for the first time so it was exciting. I know Rahul (Dev) from my modelling days but we worked together as actors for the first time, so that was also great.”

Source: A still from the trailer

She talked about one of her shots from the film, and said,  “I have a shot in the film, where I am in a swimming pool. And the shoot of that scene was during the middle of the day, it was an open sky and the sun was beating down. So I kept wondering about the tan lines I would end up getting the next day because of this shot.”

Rahul Dev’s Account

Rahul Dev in Raat Baaki Hai plays the role of a cop, Ahlawat, who is investigating the murder. About shooting the film in Ranthambore, he said, “I was actually comfortable while shooting. I preferred shooting outdoors than in Mumbai because it was safer there. There were no cases in Ranthambore.”

Source: A still from the trailer

Raat Baaki Hai premieres on ZEE5 on 16 April.

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