Shruti says no to pressure about being productive
Stuck in the lockdown for almost three weeks now, actor Shruti Haasan, who is living with just her cat in Mumbai, has realised that she enjoys her own company. “The most challenging thing for me, at this point, is the inability to work and travel. The latter has made me a little bit angsty. But I value this time as well,” she says.
She works out daily, cooks, practises playing the piano and looks after her cat, which gives her “a sense of routine”. “But I’m not putting pressure on myself to be productive... It’s a time of heavy anxiousness and nervousness for everybody — financial worries, emotional concerns and mental well-being... I had taken a break from work two years ago, and since then, I’ve realised that one should take a break to balance work with free time,” Haasan shares.
Pointing out that situations like these can “bring out the best or the worst in people”, she says that she’s glad to see people helping each other and valuing the “small things we were taking for granted”. She adds, “But the xenophobia and discrimination around the world is really upsetting and I feel if something like this pandemic can’t unite us, then I don’t know what will.”
While her peers have been chatting with friends or media outlets, Haasan did live chats on Instagram with “inspiring” women, who shared their views on body image issues, music, mental health, among other topics. “I believe in the power of sisterhood and have met many interesting women through my work. So, other than my friends, I spoke to some women on different aspects of life which I thought would help others,” she says.