The coronavirus outbreak has taken a toll on the daily lives of people across the nation. With no TV or film shoots around the corner, the lockdown has allowed celebrities to stay at home to learn and embrace new skills to keep things going.
Actress Saumya Tandon, who plays the character of Anita Mishra in &TV’s popular show Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai, has utilised the lockdown to spend more quality time, which otherwise becomes a “luxury” due to her busy shooting schedule. “I have made the most of my lockdown time as I knew that if shooting resumed, there would be so many things which would take a back seat. I received requests from fans across the nation asking for new episodes of the show and I am glad to share that they will be aired very soon. We have started shooting keeping in mind the new regulations,” she says.
In the meantime, many celebs also learnt the importance of time management, cooking, household chores, body fitness, music and life-related lessons during these tough times. Actor Vineet Raina has, for instance, learnt drawing and cooking while staying at home. He says, “I always wanted to learn how to draw cartoons and I have been learning it from YouTube. Second thing I love is to cook and there were so many Kashmiri dishes that I could never cook. So, during this lockdown I used to be on call with my mom and she used to guide me and tell me recipes. I tried those new dishes and after trying them for 3-4 times, I aced them. I am practising guitar also.”
Model-turned-actor Praniti Rai Prakash tells that she has learnt a lot on the household front and on the emotional front as well. She adds, “I have learnt many new recipes. I have just begun experimenting with recipes and that has resulted in cooking new dishes. I am learning and maintaining the house, washing clothes and utensils, making bed, cleaning and dusting the house, etc. Another thing I have been learning is a musical instrument that is a mouth organ. I have not aced it yet but for sure I will. I have also written two songs, one of them is for my mother. I have explored a lot of workout regimes as I am working out at home.”
As for actress Jayati Bhatia, she feels that it was a boon for “body and mind in the beginning but soon that turned into restlessness and despair”. She adds, “During this lockdown, I learnt about ‘Que Sera Sera’ (whatever will be, will be). We have to find the good in this moment. I am not a phoneconversation person but I learnt it and got used to video calling. It is obviously virtual, but it gives a lot of solace to see your loved one’s face during these times. The other thing that has been a unique experience is that my husband is helping me to shoot my show Bhalla Calling Bhalla.”
Ishaqbaaz actor Leenesh Mattoo has utilised this time to attain good physique using body weight without any gym equipment. He says that the other thing he learnt is an important lesson of not taking things for granted — be it your time, your work or your loved ones.