TVC for Haryana Govt.

One Day, Five TVCs and a Memorable Experience with Satish Kaushik Ji

Some projects stay with you long after the camera stops rolling. My experience of shooting five TVCs for the Haryana Government with the late veteran actor Satish Kaushik Ji is one such memory.

Once Satish Ji agreed to give us a day, we knew we had to make every minute count. Our entire production crew travelled from Delhi, and we planned to shoot all five TVCs in a single day.

At the time, Satish Ji was directing a feature film with actor Pankaj Tripathi Ji. So, instead of asking for an entire day from his already packed schedule, we requested his time in the morning before his feature film shoot and again in the evening after his pack up. We also strategically selected a location close to where his film was being shot.

Satish Ji very graciously agreed to support us.

And that's when our real challenge began.

After traveling through the night, our entire crew, along with all the equipment, reached Lucknow early in the morning. There was barely any time to rest. After a quick freshen up, we immediately started setting up the location. The lighting team got to work while the rest of the crew prepared for the first two setups.

By 8:30 in the morning, we were ready.

When Satish Ji arrived, the veteran that he was, he needed very little time to get into character. We completed the first two scripts across two different setups remarkably quickly. He then left for his feature film shoot, and our plan was to complete the remaining three TVCs in the evening.

For us, the day was far from over. We spent the afternoon preparing the third and fourth locations so that we could make the most of his limited time once he returned.

Satish Ji came back around 5 PM, accompanied by Pankaj Tripathi Ji, the hero of his feature film, along with some of the other cast members. We quickly completed one of the shoots, after which Pankaj Ji and the others left for the day.

By the time we wrapped the fourth TVC, it was already 10 PM.

And we still had one more to shoot.

The next day, Satish Ji had another full day of work on his feature film. We were therefore unsure whether he would agree to continue with the fifth TVC.

But what happened next is something I will always remember.

Satish Ji simply agreed.

The interesting and slightly terrifying part was that we weren't even ready for the fifth film. The set wasn't prepared, the lighting wasn't done, and we hadn't even finalised exactly what the frame would look like.

Most actors in that situation would understandably have been frustrated or unwilling to wait.

But Satish Ji patiently stayed back.

He not only waited for us to get everything ready, but also participated in the process of deciding the frame and helped us work through the last minute challenges. His easy going nature and complete cooperation made an otherwise extremely stressful situation much easier for the entire team.

We finally completed the fifth TVC in the early hours of the morning.

What made the experience even more special was Satish Ji himself. Despite having worked through an exhausting schedule and knowing that he had another demanding day ahead, he remained cheerful throughout. His natural humour, laughter and warmth kept the atmosphere light and helped the entire crew deal with the pressure of the continuous shoot.

Here was an actor and filmmaker with an extraordinary body of work and countless accolades to his name, yet he was incredibly grounded and approachable.

Even after pack up, when everyone was exhausted, Satish Ji stayed back, spent time with us and happily clicked photographs with the team.

That night, we didn't just come away with five completed TVCs.

We came away with a memory of having worked with a truly wonderful human being.

Satish Kaushik Ji was a veteran in every sense of the word, but what impressed me most was his humility, warmth and generosity towards the people working around him.

I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him on this project.

Some shoots test your production skills. Some leave you with stories you'll remember for the rest of your life. This was definitely the latter.