A post-lockdown world worries Bhumi Pednekar 
Sangeeta Yadav (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 23, 2020)

“The world wouldn’t be the same after Coronavirus,” says actor Bhumi Pednekar, 30, who feels that the pandemic has not only forced people to slow down and adapt to the “new normal” but has also put a question mark over the survival of mankind. Concerned about people who are struggling, especially the daily wage earners who are currently out of work, she says, “We don’t know how things are going to be in the future. I know that when the lockdown ends, I’m one of those lucky people who are going to have the opportunity to still lead a normal life, but many wouldn’t, which is scary.”

While she has extended her support to those struggling during the lockdown by donating to various relief funds, she refrains from revealing the amount as “it’s too personal”. “Donating money isn’t the only way to extend support. We need to be compassionate and care for our staff members, those working on the front lines, and also towards our environment. When we read about people not listening to and misbehaving with medical staff and police officers, as actors, we should appeal to them to stay indoors,” she says.

During the lockdown, Pednekar is busy learning the science of hydroponic farming, cooking, and is catching up on reading as well. “I fear that once the lockdown is over, people are going to go crazy by going back to the same rut to catch up on lost days, to cover up production requirements and stabilise the economy. It would harm the environment at double the speed and push our planet to the brink again. I’m a climate-conscious person and I get anxiety because of this. I hope this doesn’t happen, and we learn from this and prep for such pandemics,” says Pednekar, who finished shooting for her upcoming film Durgavati before the lockdown, but Badhaai Do and Takht have been put on hold.