Not all celebrities are doing household chores and putting up workout videos on social media to pass their time in the Coronavirus lockdown. Some of them are practising self-isolation by taking to some more productive activities.
We hear that leading Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt has decided to hone her writing skills during the lockdown. According to reports, the actress has enrolled for an online certification course in creative writing from a reputed international institute.
“Alia comes from a very creative family and it is but evident that the actress, who was goaded into doing her own lines for her film Sadak 2 by her father and director Mahesh Bhatt, has been taking the course. Alia is not really a writer, but she has also been putting together essays and other stuff, and will be writing a detailed script at the completion of the course. Her sister Shaheen is also a good writer, her half-sister Pooja is also a director like her father, and so it won’t be long before we see her name in the credit list of films which does not fall under the starring category,” an industry source tells a publication.
On the work front, Alia Bhatt will be next seen in Sadak 2 and Gangubai Kathiawadi. She was also gearing up to start the first shooting schedule of Karan Johar’s much-awaited directorial Takht, but the project has now been put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The historical drama was scheduled to begin its shoot Italy and Spain, two countries that have been heavily affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.
The actress was about to start shooting for S. S. Rajamouli’s next directorial RRR as well, which has also been cancelled in the wake of the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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