There is a fear of a second wave of Covid-19 in UK, warns October actor Banita Sandhu – bollywood

Actor Banita Sandhu might be staying far away from India in the UK, but she keeps herself updated with what’s happening in the film industry, here. So, when she got to know that the daily wage earners of the film industry are struggling to make their ends meet amid the Covid-19 pandemic, she readily came forward to help them in this difficult time by donating to various charities.

“If there is anything to learn from this crisis, it’s that we must protect our daily wage earners. Once all this is over, their place in the industry needs to be reassessed as integral workers who are protected, so that they aren’t left in vulnerable situations like this ever again,” says Sandhu, who doesn’t not wish to disclose her contributions.

Due to the crisis and subsequent lockdown, the entertainment industry also witnessed a setback with several films skipping theatricals releases and many filmmakers taking the web route. However, Sandhu, who made her Bollywood debut with Shoojit Sircar’s October (2018), isn’t surprise by this.

She explains, “That’s because coronavirus is hastening the direction the industry was already heading towards. Given the uncertainty and lack of options available during a global pandemic, one has to look at what best can be done.”

The actor, who hasn’t left her house for two and a half months now, continues to work from home and reveals that she has self-shot a few tapes for projects in both India and the UK. However, she confesses not hoping to hear back any time soon, “because no one really knows when we’ll be able to restart production”.

Asserting that the situation in the UK is improving, Sandhu affirms that people are still being cautious.

“There is a fear of a second wave of Covid-19. Statistically, the number (of cases reported and deaths) are falling and the Government believes we’ve passed the first peak. Everybody is still being cautious and we’ve moved from a stay at home phase to stay alert with some relaxations.”

Meanwhile, on what kept her busy during the lockdown, the actor shares she got herself enrolled in online language and music classes. “I’ve also been binge-watching a lot of shows. I’m somehow past the point of feeling bad for watching an entire season in one sitting now,” she quips.