Nidhhi Agerwal: We are a lucky lot to be in our houses safe, a lot of people don’t even have their daily income coming in

The actor says she had no idea that the lockdown would last as long as it has

Actor Nidhhi Agerwal is grateful for one thing in this lockdown - she could make it to Bangalore in time to be with her family. She says she was in two minds about her what to do when the decision was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi but eventually decided to take the flight to Bangalore.

“I didn’t think it would last this long. ‘Let me just go home’ was my first thought. I live in Mumbai and work everywhere. I was pretty much at the airport when these things were happening, so I immediately decided to shift my scheduled flight from Mumbai to Bangalore. Being home is easier when it comes to food, safety, everything, even health wise. I am very happy at home, I am grateful,” tells us the 24-year-old. 

Agerwal, though grateful for being at her house, admits that she is fortunate to have all these amenities, unlike some who have to work hard each day just to earn a basic living.

She says, “We have our houses, and these things sorted, we are just thinking about how to pass time. We are a lucky lot. A lot of people who don’t know these things, or are stuck in another city, don’t have daily income coming in to go out and buy groceries, which have become more expensive right now. I am doing my bit charity-wise, it’s a difficult time. We just have to be patient and kind to one another.” 

A lot of her projects have been stuck, she further adds, because of the lockdown, which means no shoots. Her debut film was supposed to release on May 1, with Jayam Ravi, but is now postponed. “I am still very excited, and sure whenever the market is ready for films to come out, and people go to theatres, it will come out,” she says. Another film that she was supposed to start in April has got postponed.

However, Agerwal is not wasting time at all. She is pursuing an online acting course. Talking about it, she says, “I am not a trained actor, I have learnt on set and am six films old in the last two years. I was browsing online and came across it. It’s the perfect time to do it, otherwise I would feel guilty about wasting time. It’s nice to learn a method to the madness. I am a very spontaneous actor, but on some days I feel maybe if I had a method, I could have done this differently.”