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Actress Amrita Rao, hubby Anmol share self-isolation experience
The couple opened up on how they are spending their time during the ongoing lockdown in India
To get an insight into celebrity life under lockdown, we caught up with actress Amrita Rao, star of films like Vivah, Main Hoon Na and Ishk Vishk, and her husband, Anmol, a popular radio jockey, who are self-isolating at their residence in Mumbai, to find out how life has changed for them since the onset of this crisis. "Life has changed for sure. The luxury of having house helps or maids coming everyday and doing all the daily chores including the cooking is now entirely my responsibility. Luckily I am the one who trains all the maids in every department in my home, and my management skills make it easier for me. Mumbaikars are all cooperating a 100 per cent with the government. I am so proud of them," said Amrita. Anmol revealed how for the first time in his life, he is doing all his shows and interviews from home. "All my shoots and events got cancelled. My new show was to launch on March 21 on Sony and even that has been pushed. Mumbai, the city which never sleeps, is taking a nap; it is so silent, I wake up with the birds chirping or landline phone ringing in the building next to me. I have never heard these sounds in the buzzing city of Mumbai. The reset button is on!" Hectic lockdown lifeAmrita, who also starred in the TV series Meri Awaaz Hi Pehchaan Hai, admitted that even though her acting projects are on hold, life is still hectic."A lot of events got cancelled. Talks with acting projects are on hold. Now, my day starts with cooking breakfast and then lunch - that consumes almost half my day. Then there is cleaning, and operating the washing machine on some days. The rest of my time is spent reading or watching the news or a web series. I am also trying to meditate, practice singing. Then there are days you are giving interviews. So for me, life is pretty much hectic in the lockdown as well." Anmol said he has never been busier than he is now. "I have never been so busy on the radio front ... trust me! My responsibility as a radio professional shoots up during such times. A few days ago I got an opportunity to connect with Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a video call and he explained how tough the situation is and how important the job of an RJ who is connecting to people at the grass-roots level, is. So I have to keep people relaxed, and give them the right information. I'm connecting with celebrities for these 21 days across my network of Fever FM, Radio Nasha and Radio One, asking them how are they spending time at home. Akshay Kumar does gardening with wife Twinkle and drives his daughter's kiddie car! Shatrughan Sinha watched the Godfather films for the first time. Hema Malini is doing all housework herself. Asha Bhosle is trying new dishes in kitchen, she made aloo parathas for her family!" Celebrity self-isolation talesWhat is their take on celebrities who have taken to social media to entertain their fans during this time? "Well, it's a privilege we have," admitted Amrita, "and using the same, me and my husband Anmol, who otherwise keep our personal life very private, went live on our Instagram pages for the very first time. The idea was to change the mood, entertain and do something different for our fans during this unusual phase. We got an overwhelming response from fans and the media. And guess what, we also got a unique chance to name a fan's newborn baby girl which was a "goosebumps" moment for me. I named her Devika." Anmol shared his favourite celebrity moments from social media. "I have two favorite videos: Virat Kohli doing an InstaLive with Kevin Pieterson - it was a free wheeling chat and so much fun. The second is when Amrita and myself went Insta Live for the first time. It was so much fun connecting with fans, singing for them, and answering their questions." He recalled the moment a fan asked them to name his newborn baby, saying it was 'surreal'. How does Amrita handle fame? "My husband interviews a lot of legends from my field. Their stories of how they have handled stardom and then the quieter phases in their lives is a big learning experience that Anmol always narrates to me in times when we need motivation. We both understand that success is a phase we must enjoy along with knowing that this is not forever. Humility is our best ornament." Anmol, who is famous for his retro playlists on shows, shared some songs that come to mind during a crisis like this, which have helped him. "At my home we start our day with retro songs, while we do the daily chores. They relax your mind. In the current situation the apt song is from Amar Prem, written by Anand Bakshi: Yeh kya hua, kaise hua, kab hua, kyon hua... jab hua, tab hua... O choro yeh na socho! The solution to the situation is in this song from Hum Dono, written by Sahir Ludhianvi: Main Zindagi ka Saath Nibhata chala gaya, har fikr ko Dhuen mein udata chala gaya!" 'We have to do our duty'Amrita had a parting message for Khaleej Times readers. "This fight of Covid-19 against mankind hopefully has taught us that we are all the same at the end of the day. Maybe that's the wisdom that God wants our biggest takeaway from this pandemic episode to be!"
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