‘Abusing the planet has made it hard for us to step out’
Being a celebrity, there’s always the onus on one to set an example for others. And even though the lockdown across India took place only recently to curb the spread of coronavirus, Raveena Tandon says she has always been practising a hygiene routine. She took to Instagram to show how when she was travelling by train before Holi this month, she made sure to disinfect her cabin herself. “This whole thing about not shaking hands has come about now. I’ve been practising it since a long time now. In fact, my husband (Anil Thadani, distributor) used to make fun of me. I would never shake hands with people because sometimes, some have clammy hands. We are celebs, so a lot of people want to, but you don’t know where it has been. I have been doing Namaste for seven-eight years now, especially since my children were born. Anyone coming from outside and wanting to hold them would have to use a sanitiser first,” says Tandon, adding how “we have abused this planet so much, that we can’t even step out of our homes. Also, so many maids and drivers, have lost their jobs. I’ve been requesting people to not lay them off as they depend on their salaries.”
The 45-year-old specially adds that misinformation being spread about linking the Covid-19 disease to pet animals was wrong, as some people began to abandon them. “I put up an Instagram post too about animals not being responsible for Covid-19,” says Tandon.
Apart from this, the actor’s professional and travel commitments too have got impacted because of the situation. “I was supposed to be shooting in mid-April, but it has been pushed, and rightfully so. Everything should be. Luckily, we finished KGF 2’s schedule in February. I was supposed to go skiing in March to Verbier, Switzerland, and it got cancelled. We used to go every year. And one thing about hospitality in India. I have friends in the hotel industry, most of them in India have refunded most of their clients! But when Switzerland shut down, they didn’t refund. The only thing we were refunded for was cancellation as our flights were via Italy. Indians think by the heart,” she says.
As a mother, Tandon believes that this extended holiday period for her kidsRanbir and Rasha should be fruitful. “We have got great stuff planned, like movie evenings, I am showing them all the Hindi classics. Apart from books such as Anne Frank. I am also making them watch documentaries on varied things. Otherwise, it’s always school, homework and repeat,” she signs off.