Directors of Unpaused on how they shot the anthology 

Unpaused is a combination of five stories set at the time of lockdown and narrates tales of new beginnings. The film is set for release on December 18 on Amazon Prime Video. 

Here is what the directors of Unpaused had to share about their respective shorts:

Raj from the duo of Raj and DK, who directed Glitch, said, “It was time when the world was at a stand-still and we were sitting at home thinking what can be done as film-makers when outlets were completely shut. We wanted to be on the sets, making films and that was the time when Aparna Purohit (Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video) called us for the short film. Reshu Nath came with a sweet little script and things just fell in place, and we were back on the sets shooting for Glitch.”

DK added, “Initially when the lockdown started, we felt lucky as story writers to have got the time to sit and develop stories but after a few months, I was missing the shoots, being on sets, actually doing something other than just writing and then, we got Aparna’s call. We didn’t have any story at the time, but just the idea of doing it and shooting it felt great.”

Nikkhil Advani on being a part of the anthology with his film Apartment said, “My Unpaused moment was the hope of being back on the sets. All directors, film-makers, storytellers come alive on the set, so the main idea is to be there. I didn’t even think twice before saying yes to it. I think everybody involved with the film had a mutual feeling, they were hoping to be on the set and there is always light on the end of the tunnel, there is always hope, and that’s what our story also showcases.”

Tannishtha Chatterjee, who directed Rat-a-Tat, said, “We were all sitting at home thinking about what to do next and how, and I got this call asking if I would like to explore a story like this based at the time of lockdown, to be shot with a limited crew. It excited me. Like every other artist, I was also dying to go back to the sets.” 

Chaand Mubarak director Nitya Mehra, said, “It all started when Pranati (Pranati Nagarseth, producer of Chaand Mubarak) called me and told me about this short film. My kid was just six months old and we were quarantined in another city, not even in Mumbai. But we got on the call with Aparna (Purohit) and it was all so bizarre. She asked me if I would like to do a short. I said yes, I would like to do anything right now to go back to the sets. Then Aparna asked what if we have a 10 people crew. If the 10 people would just include DOP, me, and a few more, I wondered who would act. So, that was very exciting, to do something we had never done. Though I had agreed to these conditions, I still wondered how do I go back to the sets and trust again. And that's when I thought of making a film that teaches to trust again.”