Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; April 11, 2020)

On Monday evening, actress Zoa Morani revealed to BT, “Yes, I have tested positive, and I have been moved to the Coronavirus positive patient’s isolation ICU.” Two days later, even her father, producer Karim Morani, tested positive for the virus. It has been a stressful time for the family and to divert her mind, the actress has been watching movies, doing yoga and chatting with her family — of course, all within the confines of her hospital room.

Talking about her days in quarantine, she says, “It’s so strange… in the last few years of my life, I had become quite a loner. I wasn’t meeting too many friends; I wasn’t going out much and preferred staying at home. Ever since the lockdown was announced, I’ve been feeling the urge to socialise. Such is life! When I was in isolation with my sister (Shaza) at home, I was quite sick. So, to divert my mind, I was enjoying all the jokes and forwards that my family was sending out. I also began calling my old friends and making new friends on social media. I surprised myself. The self-quarantine period made me the exact opposite of what I was — a loner.”

She adds, “From those days of being isolated at home, to now being confined to a hospital room all by myself — it feels just the venue has changed. Now, it seems that life has become like a drama where things keep unfolding one after the other. In the hospital, half of my day goes into absorbing these new situations, and the other half, I rest it out. My daily routine in the hospital begins at 6 am. I wake up, freshen up and do pranayam. I also do a few exercises suggested by my doctor. The workout is followed by chai, and let me tell you, the hospital chai is really good. Then, I get on the phone with my family and we check on each other’s health. Apart from binge-watching movies, web shows, and all the yapping, what keeps me going is my exercise. Watching the doctors walking around in their spacesuits (the protective gear) makes me wonder… Am I on the moon? I must say, this is quite an experience, and I think I was meant to go through this.”