Shooting for a television soap, especially a daily, is an exacting task. With shoots stretching to a minimum of 16 hours, no days off and the rush to meet channel deadlines, things can get hectic and chaotic. It's tougher for newcomers who draw the short end of the stick when TRPs determine twists and turns in the plot. Over time, however, the same actors can call the shots once the characters they portray become a hit. They can now call the shots on which projects to take on but also shoot timings, holidays and number of scenes. When the character becomes popular, remuneration and working conditions change overnight. Hitlist speaks to some popular actors about their television journey from when they started off to now, to figure exactly how much things have changed.