I realised this when I went on the sets of Vipul Aankhen Shah's latest film, Waqt: The Race Against Time at Mumbai's Filmistan studios in Goregaon.

I was upbeat because I was going to meet Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani and Shefali Chhaya, who star in the film.

It is only when you stand under the bright, hot arch lights that you realise how difficult it is to be an actor and utter dialogues to perfection for hours.

Text: Syed Firdaus Ashraf | Design: Uday Kuckian