Lookalikes look for relief

Daily wage earners, across industries, are among those most severely hit due to the Covid-19 crisis. And this includes the lookalikes of Bollywood actors. Raju Rahikwar, 46, a lookalike of actor Shah Rukh Khan, who has been entertaining audiences since 1995, is finding it difficult to support his family during the lockdown.

“I don’t see things getting better anytime soon. I have started a small business of selling hand sanitisers and masks, along with a friend. I need to feed my family and also pay my children’s school fees,” he shares.

He adds that the only individual who has come forward to help is actor Salman Khan. “I received ₹3,000 from Being Human Foundation but I distributed it among three people, just as Salman bhai has been asking his fans to do. I also got a food coupon worth ₹1,500 from the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE),” he says.

Arif Khan, a lookalike of actor Anil Kapoor and also the president of All India Look Alike Association, feels the industry should look into their problems. “FWICE president, BN Tiwari and secretary Ashok Dubey are doing a great job of [helping] daily wage workers. I appreciate their efforts, but I believe the industry should look after us, too. As there are no film or ad shoots and events going on, the lookalikes have been jobless. We need the industry to do something for us, just like other daily wage earners are being supported,” he says.

Echoing the worries amid the current crisis, Zaed, a lookalike of Sunny Deol, says, “I have been doing this all my life. I am not even in a position to think of what else I can do for a living. Many are dependent on my income and the situation is just going from bad to worse.”

I don’t see things getting better anytime soon... I need to feed my family. RAJU RAHIKWAR LOOKALIKE OF SHAH RUKH KHAN