Priya Bapat on City of Dreams 2: Had to do 17 takes of the first shot

Priya Bapatrsquos effortless acting and charm have made her a star in the Marathi film industry As she tries to gain a foothold in the Hindi industry itrsquos quality over quantity for the actor mdash she would rather be part of memorable projects than ldquodo 1000 films for the sake of itrdquo For now she is focusing on her two latest releases MXPlayerrsquos Marathi series Aani Kay Hava and Disney Hotstarrsquos City of Dreams 2 In a chat with midday Bapat talks about her work and being picky about her projectsEdited excerpts from the interviewWith three seasons of Aani Kay Hava under your belt it must have been a fulfilling journeyAfter working together from 2010 to 2015 Umesh Kamat husband and I took a break to work with other people In 2019 the producers of Aani Kay Hava who are our close friends told us about this script by Varun Narvekar We were blown when we read it It was a simple story about a couple dealing with daytoday things We jumped at the opportunity Since the first season garnered a tremendous response MXPlayer decided to follow it up with subsequent editionsStills of Aani Kay HavaDoesnrsquot the show seem similar to Netflixrsquos muchloved Little ThingsIf you put them next to each other you will see some similar aspects as both revolve around a couple But the issues equations and the relationship we explore in this show through an arranged marriage setup are different Aani Kay Hava has a strong Marathi flavour to it Even though the situations could be universal the references we use mdash say making a puranpoli mdash would change if it were made in some other language Culturally the two shows are differentAlso Read Priya Bapat and Umesh Kamat to explore new phase of their relationshipWhat were some of the memorable praises and criticisms you received for this showLuckily there hasnrsquot been any criticism The biggest compliment I received was that we could bring a smile to peoplersquos faces during the pandemic We got messages saying lsquoWe survived the pandemic because of Aani Kay Hava We watched the three seasons on a looprsquoCity of Dreams 2You had another big release in the second season of City of DreamsWe had started shooting in January 2020 and were 20 days away from wrapping it up when the pandemic happened We resumed the shoot in October 2020 Eijaz Khan was in Bigg Boss then so we initially shot without him We could complete the shoot once Eijaz returned and finally wrapped it up in February 2021How was it to return to a character after a long gapGoing back to Aani Kay Hava was not tough because itrsquos a simpler structure However with City of Dreams 2 it was a challenge Remembering everything you did in the month of January and recreating those moments was difficult It took an entire day to come back to Purnima Gaikwad her character I had to do 17 takes of the first shot After a few takes Nagesh sir Kukunoor director started saying lsquoI donrsquot want Priya Bapat I want Purnimarsquo You tend to lose the rhythm after a gap especially since Purnima is different from the real me We managed to pull off the first scene somehow but after that I survivedHas your career panned out as per your expectationsIt has not gone beyond my expectations but I would expect more after the second season of City of Dreams In fact I was expecting a drastic change in my career after the first season which unfortunately didnrsquot happen However I donrsquot lose hope I have always been hungry for good work It was a conscious decision to say no to a few projects Sometimes it is difficult to reject work because you end up sitting at home But I know I would have been unhappier had I taken up projects only for visibility I donrsquot want to do 1000 projects of which people will only talk about one or two I would rather do 20 brilliant projectsAlso Read City Of Dreams Season 2 Makers unveil trailer release date announced too