WE ARE LUCKY THAT WE ARE STILL FINE AND READY TO FIGHT, SAYS ARUN MANDOLA

Jyothi Venkatesh

The Coronavirus cases have gone over 10 lakhs in India and it is increasing at a rapid rate. Arun Mandola feels that with so much happening in the world we should feel lucky that we are still fine.  He says the earth has become now a battlefield, and adds, “If you cannot fight you will lose everything. The important thing for us is to fight back and win this war. This is not just about actors now. Everyone is facing depression, but if you lose hope you will be out of this human race. We are lucky that we are still fine and ready to fight. Talking about actors going back on the sets and resuming shoots, he said, “It is courageous to step out and resume the shoot. In India, people follow Bollywood and politicians, and I feel proud that we are fighting against Coronavirus. I think this coronavirus was the biggest lesson for humans because we have become cruel and insensitive, so this lesson is very important for us.”

After the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown following it, many lost their jobs. Even in the entertainment industry, there are many actors who are waiting to get some work. There is obviously insecurity among the actors. Speaking on the same, Arun said, “Yes, actors are insecure because there are multiple talented people here and you have to beat them by hook or by crook. Nobody becomes a star overnight; there are many years of struggle behind every success.” During the lockdown, we also saw an increase in social media posts by various celebrities. Many believe that actors also portray a fake lifestyle on these platforms, but Arun feels that if they won’t do that, they will lose their following too.

“The biggest truth is that if actors will stop showing-off then nobody will ask them, and nobody will take them seriously. So it is required for actors. But not all actors show-off and I am also one of them. I always tell people or show them less of what I am because that’s my nature. Everyone is different,” the "Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman" actor says. A lot of actors even suffered financially during the lockdown. Arun says, “I will advise those people who are struggling in Mumbai to be positive and focused and do not depend on acting. If you seriously want to become an actor then make sure you do other work also for survival.”

What about the competition that’s growing in the industry? He says, “Every day thousands of new actors are joining the industry and giving competition to other actors. But if you see in the last five years opportunities have also increased. There are music videos, movies, various OTT platforms, so now more opportunities have also increased.” What are the two things that you learned during this time? “Well, I learned a lot of things during this lockdown. But the two most important things are to save money, and invest money in various sectors,” Arun says.