Veteran actor Harsh Chhaya has offered a candid glimpse into television's vanished work culture, contrasting the disciplined shooting schedules of his early career with the gruelling demands facing actors today. In an exclusive conversation, the three-decade industry veteran recalled a time when daily shoots ran from 9 am to 6 pm with both Saturdays and Sundays off — a luxury that has largely disappeared from Indian television.

The organised schedules of yesteryear

"It used to be a lot of work even back then, but we worked only for eight hours because the industry functioned that way," Chhaya told IANS. "An episode would air every week and people today cannot believe that we used to shoot daily from 9 am to 6 pm with Saturdays and Sundays off." He elaborated that this disciplined routine persisted for two-and-a-half to three years on shows like 'Hasratein', 'Tara', and 'Koshish - Ek Aashaa', without compromising on output quality or narrative depth.

The shift mentality that no longer exists

The actor highlighted a telling detail: if a new scene arrived at 5:30 pm, the crew would worry it might stretch into 7 pm, breaching the contracted shift. "If a new scene came in at 5:30 PM, we would worry that it might stretch till 7, because the shift was supposed to end by then," he said. This structured approach stood in stark contrast to current practice, where boundary-breaking has become normalised.

Why today's TV culture demands more for less

The fundamental difference, Chhaya explained, lies in broadcast frequency. "But there is a huge difference today. Now people work 12-hour shifts and are still constantly fighting against time because shows need to air five days a week." The shift from weekly to five-days-a-week airings has compressed production cycles, forcing longer hours without proportional increases in crew or budget. This is the Nth such structural change in Indian television that has tilted the balance against performer welfare.

A career spanning three decades

Harsh Chhaya has remained a fixture in Indian entertainment across television, cinema, and streaming platforms. Beyond his landmark TV roles in 'Margarita' and other hit projects, he has appeared in films including 'Company', 'Corporate', and 'Fashion'. Most recently, he has garnered critical acclaim for his performance in the OTT series 'Undekhi', which also features Varun Badola and Gautam Rode.

What's ahead for television work culture

While industry bodies have occasionally flagged actor welfare concerns, no systematic shift toward regulated shooting hours has materialised. Chhaya's reflection underscores a broader conversation about whether Indian television can recalibrate its production model to match global standards — where 10-12 hour shifts remain the exception, not the norm.