The nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic has affected each and every person, directly or indirectly. The entertainment industry is one of the sectors that has been severely impacted, with the shootings of films and TV shows coming to a grinding halt. So, how are Bollywood stars and TV actors using this “leisure time”, tough the lockdown has put many of them in an unprecedented financial crisis as well?
Speaking to The Daily Guardian, Naagin and Bepannah Pyaar actor Pearl V. Puri says that she had been utilising the time to have a good comfortable sleep. “This quarantine has been quite amazing for me,” she says, adding how she continues to follow a strict routine for her work out as well as diet plan. “After a long while, I have got time to concentrate on myself and that’s what I’m doing. I am also watching shows and movies that I have missed out on, due to my heavy schedule,” the actor adds.
Bollywood actor Mandana Karimi has used the lockdown period in cooking and fitness care. “This lockdown has given me more time for fitness and cooking. I experiment with new recipes daily. For workout, I follow yoga, meditation, cardio and weight training,” she says.
Television and Bollywood star Vatsal Sheth is busy making the breakfast like poha and upma as his cook is not there due to the lockdown. “I make it better than my cook. I and my wife Ishita follow a fitness regime where we do yoga twice or thrice a week, follow exercises from YouTube.” His wife and Bepannah Pyaar actor Ishita Dutta adds: “I enjoy cooking and try new recipes daily. I miss going to the gym. But here at home, I’m doing the essential exercises.”
Priya Banerjee, last seen in web series Baarish season 2, says, “I always go back to my home in Canada to spend time with my family whenever I get a break. This is the first time I’ve been alone for almost 3 months quarantined, but quite honestly I didn’t mind it much. I’ve always wanted to learn cooking properly so I’ve done that. I’ve tried different cuisines like Thai, Chinese, and especially Indian food. Fitness regime also hasn’t changed much; in fact, I’m spending more time now doing yoga and also working out since there is so much time now. I am also learning Spanish and watching pretty much all kinds of shows and movies in different languages.”
Krishna Bharadwaj, who plays the lead in SAB TV’s popular show Tenali Ramam has also used the lockdown time to try hands in the kitchen. “I wasn’t a good cook but when lockdown started, I started looking for the recipes on the Internet and made a few dishes from which 90% of them were hit and 10% was a flop. Alongside this, I’ve been performing yoga everyday as I guess everyone must have realised that doing 20 Surya Namaskar gives you the same result which daily workout at a gym provides. I’m not missing gym anymore.”
Helly Shah, last seen in Sufiyana Pyaar Mera and currently working in Ishq Mein Marjavan 2, however, isn’t too fond of cooking. “I know the basics and I can cook, but I don’t really enjoy it,” she confesses. “Initially, I had stopped working out as it had become difficult to work out without my trainer’s guidance as I’m so used to working out with him. So I didn’t do any work out for at least a month, but then I started doing on my own. I do Surya Namaskar sometimes, go for a walk in my society with a mask and I also do some stairs exercises as they are very effective.”
Bigg Boss fame Madhurima Tuli also talked about her fitness and cooking regime. “During this lockdown, I’ve got a lot of time to spend my family. We all are trying to make different kinds of food. We have tried pizza, ice-cream, and pani-puri which we use to make earlier. Apart from this, I’m doing yoga to keep my mind at peace,” the actress says.
As for Digangana Suryavanshi, who has worked in several Bollywood and south Indian movies, her fitness regime includes “functional training clubbed with some yoga. I also practice breathing exercises that help keep my mind healthy and positive.” Talking about her diet, she adds: “I stick to homemade food. I’m a vegetarian and during this lockdown, I’ve managed to cook a few dishes like apple halwa and pakoras. I’ve also baked a cake for my parents on their anniversary.”
It can be said that the actors are utilising their lockdown time in cooking, and doing yoga and fitness workouts. But they also want the lockdown to get over soon. They are desperate to get back to work.