Stuck abroad, are these celebs planning a return?

Being at home with one’s family is possibly the only solace one can ask for amid the ongoing crisis. But what about many of those who’re not only away from their homes, but also homeland? Much like a lot of other people, many celebrities are also stuck in foreign countries.

Singer Sonu Nigam has been in Dubai since March 6. Talking about the scenario there, he says, “Honestly, nothing much has changed since then. Dubai has started opening up, but I prefer staying indoors. What I need in my everyday life is available at home. And I’m the kind of person who’s very comfortable in his own company.” Actor Mouni Roy, meanwhile, is stuck in Abu Dhabi since March, while actor Sana Saeed has no immediate plans to return to India from Los Angeles, where she has been living since before the US announced its lockdown on March 14. “The world is facing such a crisis, so it’s wrong to cry about your own personal things. People are going through far worse things,” she says.

Asserting that she is constantly in touch with her family, Saeed, 31, adds, “They keep telling me that no lockdown doesn’t mean (there’s) no corona, or that everything is safe. So, I should stay here till things get better.”

While both Nigam and Saeed don’t want to risk exposure by travelling, actor Soundarya Sharma feels stuck after making seven unsuccessful attempts to book a return flight to India from the US. “I’ve been stuck in Los Angeles for five months now. I came here for an acting workshop with Lee Strasberg, and finished that. I was halfway through my course at the New York Film Academy when this pandemic started,” she shares.

Adding that there’s a lot of confusion around repatriation flights, she says, “It’s not easy to commute to the place from where the flights are taking off, plus the rates are four times the normal cost. That’s still okay, but I don’t want to risk it by taking four suitcases, and contracting something from which I’ve been protecting myself for the last three months.”

Meanwhile, stuck in New York, actor Ankur Bhatia is in two minds over prospects of travelling back to India to be with his father. “It has not been that bad actually. Me and my dad both have family with us. I’m with my wife and my kid. The plan was to stay here in NY for two-three weeks, but then it was a little shocking when news started coming in about no flights,” he says.

(Clock wise from above) Sonu Nigam; Soundarya Sharma; Sana Saeed