AMPLE AWARENESS ABOUT SOCIAL DISTANCING HAS TO BE DONE, SAYS PRODUCER MOU DAS

Jyothi Venkatesh

The lockdown has been lifted, the government has eased restrictions and is working on opening all the sectors in phases. Wearing masks and maintaining social-distance holds top priority in the list of guidelines issued by the government. Producer Mou Das feels that awareness about social-distancing is the need of the hour. And we couldn't agree more, remember how people forgot all about social-distancing when the liquor shops were openend, or recently there were pics of passengers crowding a bus, so what happened to social distancing.

 "Social distancing is the new normal, definitely in a situation like this nobody would like to risk their lives but to stop the spread of coronavirus there are things that require changes like socializing, shopping, workplace, education, healthcare and more. Now we all crave for going back to the life we had before this pandemic, but one thing we aren't realising is that going back to normal won't be possible without true efforts and social distancing is a very crucial part of that effort. Ample awareness about social distancing has been done its just how much people stick to it. Self realisation of the consequences of this deadly virus only help us defeat it," Mou said.

When asked to describe her lockdown days, she said, "It was like running a race before this, but then suddenly a day came when you can no longer run, you realize life is precious you can do anything but not risk the life of yours and your loved ones. Work is a necessity but the most important thing in the world is family and love."Mou says she is very passionate about her work and can't wait to resume it soon, but during the lockdown she kept herself busy with cooking, reading, gardening, watching movies and TV series.

Talking about how this lockdown led to mental stress and depression too, she said, "At the beginning it seemed a matter of few days but then when it went from days to weeks to months it definitely started disturbing mental health the most. Everyone has a living and if the basic needs are getting affected however you put a brave face on your heart starting pounding. This lockdown have seen some taking away their life which is painful but another harsh reality of our society when one moment of your weakness takes over your mind."

"Being positive is the only alternative to mental distress. Many people don’t want to talk about it because they fear that they will be judged but I feel we should make them comfortable to speak up. It’s not the time to judge people and their circumstances. It’s our responsibility to help them and this way we can reach out to the society," she added.

Mou also spoke about the newest shot-at-home trend and said, "Whether it will stay for long has to be seen eventually, you can never match the production quality. So this might still be the solution of the hour but we have to wait and watch how the advertisers and brand decide to put it to use. For now, in the social-distancing era this looks like an option.

"As far as the entertainment industry is concerned, Mou feels that the production has already adapted to working in a very constrained atmosphere, so cutting down the strength will definitely take a huge toll on the existing systems. "I really don't know if this is the 'new normal' this will be difficult and most production houses will prefer to go back to the previous 'so-called normal'. Only time will say if the industry is ready to accept this new framework or wait it out for the starting as it was," she signs off.