Aneri Vajani on working extra hours for TV shows: I can’t walk out of the set knowing the team needs me

As actors continue to talk about being overworked at the cost of their health and personal needs, Beyhadh actor Aneri Vajani feels one ought to look at the other side of the coin, too.

The 29-year-old, who started out as an actor at the age of 19, and has had to prioritise work every step of the way to meet strict deadlines of daily soaps, feels it is onlt a part of her job.

“There are so many actors who work extra hours because the telecast has to happen and I have done that as well. And it’s alright because when you know the show is your baby, you can’t really walk out of the set knowing that the team needs you,” explains Vajani, adding, “When I know that for the telecast to happen, I have to stay back a little more, main kis munh se unko bolungi ki main ghar jaarhi hu, that I do not care, or my shift was for eight hours and now I will leave? I can’t do that.”

But isn’t this sense of accountability prone to being exploited? Vajani asserts that she believes in resolving the issues internally. “When you are part of a show, then it’s your responsibility that you stay on good terms with people who are working with you. You have to offer them a helping hand. Explain them your problem when there is, but if they are telling you that we have to do it, then understand that they also have a reason behind it and they, too, can be helpless,” she ends.