It’s hope that keeps us going, says Pankhuri
UNLOCKING THE LOCKDOWN
Catastrophe is a rather strong word. But she uses it right away, almost as an outburst, when asked about how the Corona pandemic has affected life in Bollywood. Pankhuri (23) is from Lucknow and has been engrossed in a tough struggle to carve out a niche for herself in the world of glitz and glam out there. She is young, good looking and talented as an actor and dancer. So are numerous strugglers in Mumbai, one may ask. But what sets Pankhuri Gidwani apart from the crowd is the crown Shah Rukh Khan put on her head when she won the title of ‘Miss India – 2016’ as a runner-up.
“Whenever I feel the blues, I remember that crowning moment, the burst of applause and the raining confetti to feel good,” she says, adding that the recurrent blues have become a part of life, thanks to the dreaded virus. An alumni of La Martiniere Girls’ College, Lucknow, she was in town. Presently, she is in her third and final year of Bachelor in Mass Media at Mithibai College Mumbai.
“As it is, the going is quite tough and now we have this virus almost killing our dreams with work down to an unprecedented minimal. People like us who come from faraway places to make our future in Mumbai are among the worst hit,” she says. Also hurt bad are the assistants, the spot boys, secondary actors and dancers, “thousands of them”.
The Mumbai she went to four years ago has changed “so drastically” in 2020. “As if things were not bad already, we mourned the deaths of Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Wajid Khan (of the Sajid-Wajid duo), then we hear of one suicide after another. I don’t know what worse is in store this year,” she says.
But perhaps all is not lost as celluloid pots are beginning to churn once again. “Though movies are not hitting the floors with even half the frequency, shooting for TV serials and web series is picking up. That’s a good sign and looks quite promising in terms of opportunities for people like us,” she says, with a gleam for the first time in her eye. “Ultimately it’s hope that keeps us going. Isn’t it?” she says looking into the distance, leaving one wondering whether it’s a statement or a question she’s asking of herself.