Reena Kapoor enjoys maternity with the Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki family.Pictures by Sudeshna Banerjee

For every episode of a TV serial that you sit down to see, know that there is a factory churning out more round-the-clock. Sudeshna Banerjee undertook a tour of some Mumbai studios that produce the pulp fiction that is a fact of evening life in so many households.

Chandivli Studios, Chandivli

This is one of the older studios with a weather-beaten look. A huge tangle of wires runs from a room to a generator. ?One phase is gone. We are drawing power from another,? mutters a member from Contiloe Films.

Inside, Niyati Joshi is being given mid-shot touch-ups as Ambika Joshi of Suno? Harr Dill Kuchh Kehtaa Hai for Sahara One. With the strobe lights and the reflectors and no air-conditioner, people are sweating like it was the Sahara.

But there?s no respite for Niyati; she must hug her ?aunt? at the end of every take! The AC thankfully is working in the rest room where ?father? Anil Dhawan is lounging with Calcutta boy Romit Raaj for company. ?It?s been 10 years but I am still trying to figure out how things work in the serials,? shrugs Anil. ?Old serials were more like a stage. These days they are more glossy and are all about tight close-ups,? he muses. And the pace of work? ?It?s all instant, like two-minute noodles! In films, they take a full day to shoot four-five lines of dialogue.?

The youngster stays quiet on the issue, and would rather hold forth on his own past and future. His breed is to the stressful manner born.

Niyati comes in after her shot. Her witty retorts shut Romit up.

Magnum Studios, Andheri

?They usually shoot the hospital scenes here,? whispers an attendant. So, one has to maintain silence. Katyayani Purohit, aka Kittu, is all plastered up after an accident while being chased by goons in Kittu Sabb Jaanti Hain. She has a fellow patient-cum-old-flame for a visitor, when her boss enters to make up the romantic triangle.

Director Sahib Siddiqui spits out retake orders as the timing of the entry and the reactions do not satisfy him.

Little Dev Kantawala might have had just a line in the scene but his popping up from beside the bed at the ?wrong moment? is vital. Isn?t it irritating to have to sit down and spring up so many times? Especially when the cameraman asks him to crouch lower and lower. ?I am enjoying it,? declares the 12-year-old, making the most of his vacation. On the sets he is Chikku, his screen name, to one and all.

Leading lady Ami Trivedi, playing a journalist, hardly has a breather with the make-up man rushing up to her between shots as she sweats under the sheets.

Outside, the doctor is pacing, stethoscope in place. ?I was the security officer in Badshah who told Shah Rukh Khan ?Gun to mere paas bhi hain magar goli tumhein chalani hai.?

For television?s sidelights, a hint of a big-screen identity spells prestige.

Khanna House, Andheri East

This is where Sahara One?s most prestigious show, Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki, is being shot by a Rajshri Productions team. A spotboy comes brandishing a bundle of notes. Closer scrutiny reveals fun currency with a churan company tag. But with the smiling Mahatma in place, you can hardly make that out on screen.

Shooting is an hour away. So leading man Arjun Punj has time in hand. He has died once in the story but seems happy to be born again as a lookalike. Cornered by queries on plausibility, he shoots back: ?Don?t expect reality in entertainment. Real life is too balanced.?

Inside, a room starts becoming Dalwai Nursing Home as soon as a shot involving a kidnapper and a baby gets over in the next room. The infant is Shaista Sheikh, daughter of a driver. ?Der mahine ki hai. Woh Kkumkum mein bhi thi,? proudly announces her aunt. Shaista has the makings of a TV professional. Despite the heat and the strangers, not a cry escapes her little lips. ?Yesterday, during the kidnapping scene, she cried every time she was being whisked away from her cradle. We were forced to replace her with a one-year-old,? Shish Pal Singh, chief assistant director, sets the record straight.

The artificial flowers and fruits reach the bedside table as Rani settles down in bed to enjoy maternity with family. Clearly, convenience overrides chronology while shooting.

Future Studio, Goregaon East

This area is infested with studios but one can hardly tell them apart from residential buildings. On the first floor of the apartment, preparations are on for promotional shoots of Hare Kkanch ki Choodiyan. ?The story is taking a dramatic turn with the entry of 12 new characters,? explains executive producer Sandip Deshpande.

The hall, meant for films, is huge. ?The effect is wasted on TV. The owners should give us a concession,? Deshpande muses. Meanwhile, the wall is done up with posters of rockstars. Shooting begins. Rajiv Khanna is a struggling musician who keeps tuning his guitar as wife Madhvi Chopra talks about the family. As many as 12 takes later, Madhvi is still smiling. ?The actual shooting is faster,? she says apologetically. The photographer, Madhu Vannier, comes to her rescue. ?The shots were all fine. We were just taking close-ups, wide angles, master shots etc, each with two rehearsals and two takes.? Elementary, isn?t it?

A call comes from another studio. ?A rape scene is being shot. The scene is very significant to the story??

Commercial break, anyone?