By Swati R Chaudhary, Bollywood Trade News Network

Mumbai is aptly called “The City of Dreams- The City That Never Sleeps”! People running helter-skelter to accommodate their on-the-run schedules is ‘quintessentially bombaiya’. Before one realizes, the day is over as you prepare for another frantic morning! A day in the life of a Bollywood actor is no different. Given their profession, an actor’s life is packed with a whirlpool of activities leaving hardly any room for personal space. TV, radio, newspaper or the web… The ubiquitous stars are splashed almost about everywhere!

An action packed day begins! In a nutshell…Gyming (if time permits), munching on a barely satiable healthy breakfast, presumably comprising of coconut water/ juice, eggs salads etc (thanks to their profession) and incessant shooting until wee hours of morning- thereby juggling between elitist filmi parties, social events and interviews to the frenzied media! 

Shooting is an enjoyable experience especially if it’s a likeminded team of enthusiastic individuals. The ‘set’ virtually becomes an actor’s abode where they are likely to spend most of their time bonding with fellow actors. The ‘light-camera-action’ ambiance and ‘on the set escapades’ forms an actors regimen in the days to come! However, shooting is taxing especially if you’re filming at unfavorable locations with extreme temperatures, without even basic amenities in a few cases.

A lot of research goes into understanding the nuances of ones ‘character’ these days. One actually has to live a character to get a feel of it, to be able to emote it effortlessly. One take, two takes and …retakes must be a routine affair of an actor’s life and hundreds of clamorous onlookers only add to their woes. However they cannot afford to lose their cool with ecstatic fans dying to catch one glimpse or for that matter, the hysterical media jostling for a byte! Isn’t it maddening and frustrating to repeatedly blabber the same story to varied media persons thronging them I wonder??? Phew! Posing for shutterbugs and given interviews amidst the grueling shoot!

Press conferences, social ado’s, high profile filmi parties…and still a lot more on an actor’s agenda!
 
“I work about 18 hours a day, but that’s not enough. If I had the power to change anything, I would add a few more extra hours in a day. I truly want more time,” the undisputed badshah of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan is quoted in an interview. 
 
But as they say, Mumbai works hard, parties harder! And the revelry continues…