Manav says all of us will have to come together and stop being selfish
The lockdown has taught everyone to be independent and self-sufficient. For me, things have been more or less the same, as I don’t socialise much. The worrisome part is that no one has a clue when we can go back to work. The uncertainty is weighing heavy on everyone,” says actor Manav Kaul.
He adds,
“Like many others, even I don’t know how I will take care of expenses, as I have a staff to take care of and my family, too. People don’t have money to pay rents as they have not been getting pay cheques for three months. I am feeling helpless and am helping whoever I can. We’ll all have to come together and stop being selfish.”
Kaul has not only been practising social distancing but also social media distancing as the posts being put up and “messages being forwarded on Whatsapp, too, are ridiculous”.
The Tumhari Sulu (2017) actor was supposed to shoot for a film, a web series and open a new play, too. He says, “Everything is on hold as of now. While people are talking about theatres reopening, limited seating during an experimental play would be next to impossible. I have been using this time to write and will release a collection of short stories soon, and I am working on a story on Covid-19.”
Looking back at the last two months, Kaul remembers his friend Irrfan, who passed away a month ago. “It was sad that most of us couldn’t attend his funeral and pay our respects. I remember when I came to Mumbai in ’98, I only had his phone number. In fact, my first role was in the TV show Banegi Apni Baat with him. We would drive around in his car and later, when he made a name for himself in Hollywood, meri chhati chaudi ho gayi. I was so proud of him. He had so much more to give to the world of cinema,” he concludes.