Priyanka Upendra is playing a different role now. Post the COVID-19 outbreak in the city, the actor has immersed herself full-time into housework. Priyanka, who is also a wife, mother of two children, and a daughter-in-law, says the lockdown has put her in charge of the entire household. “Since all my servants have gone, there is so much work to do at home now. I am cooking, and taking care of the family -- Uppi, kids and my in-laws. My daily activities also include looking after the plants, pets, etc. I don’t realise when my day starts and ends,” says Priyanka, who adds that she had three domestic helps until now.
“Never once have I cleaned the entire house, and it looks quite okay, which is, of course, an achievement,” she says. “We sometimes underestimate how much we can do. It is a little tiring. Though it’s great that I have Uppi (actor Upendra) helping me with the dishes, and the kids too help me sometimes,” she reveals. Priyanka had even planned to catch up on watching some films, and get on with her writing, but she is not finding much time for those passions.
“At this moment, it is important to clean the house, which alone takes two hours of my time,” says Priyanka, adding, “In all this melee, I managed to watch the Oscar-winning film, Parasite, on Amazon. I am hoping to watch more shows on Netflix, but it all depends on how much time I get. The entire day’s work gets me tired – so much so that I want to get to bed by 8.30 pm.” For the family, Chaitra Navaratri (Vasantha Navarathri), which falls on April 2, will be a low-key affair this year.
“Usually, we have the purohit come and perform the pooja. However, this year it will be quite simple,” she says. Meanwhile, Priyanka is waiting for the kids to start their online classes. “My son, Ayush, is a Class 10 student. He has taken three Board exams, and we are yet to get an update about when the rest of them will be held. My daughter, Aishwarya, is in Class 9 and will start attending her school’s online classes from April 10, which will keep her busy,” she says.
Ramesh Aravind, filmmaker
Ramesh Aravind, an actor, director, producer and motivational speaker has now found new ways to make his life interesting during this lockdown period.
A chance to bond better with family
For Ramesh Aravind, this is the time to rewire the existing relationship at home and bond better with family members. “I have never folded my clothes in my life, and am doing it now. To an extent, my participation in domestic chores is helping me get a better understanding of the relationship. Perhaps for the first time in our lives, my wife, my daughter and I (my son is currently in the USA) are having all three meals together. Earlier, each one of us were in our own orbit, and they have now got aligned,” he says.
Learning accounting and hands-on VFX
The lockdown is also giving Ramesh Aravind a chance to take up activities he has wanting to try, but could not do because of his hectic schedule. “Our professional work swallows at least nine hours of our time,” he says. “I always wanted to understand ‘tally’ and financial accounting. Since I was a science student, I never understood much about debit and credit, voucher, journal entry and ledger. Since it was not that relevant to my profession, I didn’t bother. But now that I am also a producer, and I have the time, I have downloaded a free version of Tally software, and am trying my hands on it.
I am getting better knowledge of accounts. Secondly, I always wanted to learn VFX (visual effects). Though I would complete the entire film in five months, 15 minutes of VFX would take another five months to complete, which was irritating. So I was keen to understand the process better,” he says. Ramesh Aravind now involves himself in taking online classes with a friend for three hours every day. “It enables me to understand how to remove the green mat, how to put the background, etc, and I am getting a first-hand experience,” he explains.
New fitness routine
Like everyone else in the city, Ramesh is forced to carry out his exercise regime at home, and has got bored with the regular workout. He is now trying out other kinds of physical activity. “I am getting into Chinese Qi, a kind of yoga, and Baare, which is popular in South Africa. I do these different kinds of exercises for 20 minutes. Having been used to only doing asanas, I find these exercises creative, and sometimes, even funny,” he says.
Script for Shivaji sequel
On the professional front, Ramesh and director Akash Srivatsa are developing a sequel to Shivaji Surathkal, which is now in the scripting stages. “All of the writing is happening online, or either through audio or video calls,” says Ramesh, who is also looking forward to releasing his next directorial, 100. “I am waiting for this lockdown period to be over, and we will then plan for the release,” he says.
Best time for introspection
According to Ramesh, this is the best time for introspection. “Since we have 8-10 hours a day to spend, we have 210 hours in hand. That is something you will never get again. I think this is when we need to analyse ourselves, and see where we have messed up, and what corrective measures need to be taken,” he says.
Abhimanyu Dassani, actor
I wake up around 8-8.30 every morning. I try to have at least two meals with my family — mostly breakfast and lunch. I read scripts through the day or catch up on more sleep. In the evenings, I play board-games like Ludo, Taboo and Judgement with my family. I’ve been watching a lot of shows: Tiger King (on Netflix), Special Ops (Hostar) and the last season of Billions (Hotstar). I’ll also recommend the Anime series, My Hero Academia. Cooking is my first love as well as a form of meditation. I’ve been trying a lot of healthy recipes: I made mushroom ravioli, gluten-free pizza, gluten-free pasta and lots of eggs. I’ve been posting daily workouts on Instagram that people can do at home. It’s always easy to follow a regime if someone gives you written instructions every day. A woman messaged me saying that her husband, who hadn’t exercised for a year, was inspired by my series to work out.”
Shriya Pilgaonkar, actor
As the last few months were hectic for me workwise, the first week of the lockdown was just about resting it out, spending time with my family and dog, reading and watching things. I am a homebody at heart but I don’t want lethargy to kick in. So I’ve been doing different workouts and allowing myself to flow in this free time. I have been watching a mixed bag of things. I watched both seasons of Killing Eve created by Phoebe Waller Bridge, who I absolutely love. I’ve been watching a lot of animation: Studio Ghibli Films on Netflix and a lovely Japanese Series called Midnight Dinner: Tokyo Stories. I also caught up on some South films on my list like Super Deluxe and Kumbalangi Nights. I am currently reading Essays on Love by Alain de Botton.
Pawan Kumar, director
Lockdown or not, Pawan Kumar lives a similar lifestyle. “I am keeping busy. Earlier, I was constantly doing some creative work. But this time, I am engaging more as an entrepreneur,” says the director-actor, who took the responsibility of crowdfunding for daily wage workers just after the lockdown was announced. The initiative ended on March 31, and Pawan Kumar collected about `8 lakh, which will be distributed among the daily wage workers.
“I am also looking at how we can do better in terms of film production and distribution. This is not just for myself, but from the perspective of the industry and the audience. I am also working on how the industry can create more employment,” says Pawan, adding, “My lifestyle is pretty much similar, and I am mostly doing work online. These days, I am also participating in household work, and spending a lot of time with my daughter. Other then binge-watching, I am also thinking of new ways of spending time qualitatively.”