Richa Chadha | Image source: @therichachadha on Instagram

The coronavirus induced lockdown has not only put everybody on house-arrest but has also made people do things that they wouldn’t otherwise. Like actor Richa Chadha, who shot for a science-fiction film at home. Yes, you heard it right! She, and the other actors in the film were assisted by director-writer Arati Kadav on lighting, camera angles and scene compositions as they shot with their phones.

The director, talking to Mumbai Mirror said—

The plight of the migrants reminded me of how dinosaurs had been wiped off within seconds of the Big Bang even while other species survived.

The film, titled 55Km/Sec, is a science-fiction film which imagines another apocalypse brought by a speeding meteor and narrates the story through the eyes of a woman who is in love.

The team coordinated through video calls on a daily basis, with the director making extensive storyboards to show how she wanted the scenes to look like.

When Richa was approached by the director to play the protagonist, she apparently didn’t give it a second thought. She was quoted as saying,“We are creative people, how long will we sit without practising our primary skills?”. The actor did her own makeup and styling, and the crew members were her family and roomies.

Richa revealed that it was difficult for her to perform a few emotional scenes as her co-actor, Mrinal Dutt was not physically present there. But the actor is happy that they were able to create something thought-provoking and beautiful in these trying times.

I for sure cannot wait to catch this film.