Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; April 24, 2020)

Following the footsteps of artistes from Bollywood and other film industries, members of the television fraternity have also come together to make a video to cheer people and urge them to stay at home, during the nationwide lockdown following the Coronavirus outbreak.

Curated by Ekta Kapoor, several artistes and creative people from the TV industry have pitched in to create the engaging video from their homes. It features Sidharth Shukla, Mouni Roy, Shailesh Lodha, Anita Hassanandani, Rohitashv Gour, Maniesh Paul, Karishma Tanna, director-choreographer Remo D’Souza, Divyanka Tripathi, Erica Fernandes, Parth Samthaan, Shabir Ahluwalia, Shehnaaz Gill, Sriti Jha, Karan V Grover and Aasif Sheikh, among others.
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Taking a cue from Bollywood's music video, Ekta Kapoor ropes in top television actors for a special video to encourage people to stay indoors
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; April 24, 2020)

Well aware that they enjoy an unparalleled reach across India, Ekta Kapoor has brought together top television stars for a special video to highlight the importance of staying indoors amid the pandemic. Bigg Boss 13 winner Sidharth Shukla, Mouni Roy, Anita Hassanandani, Karishma Tanna and Maniesh Paul are among the many actors who have shot their portions at their respective homes.

"The video is a collective effort by the television producers' association of our country. The current scenario calls for us to be united more than ever, and entertainment is the common language across the country," says Kapoor, the brain behind the initiative. By offering a peek into the daily lives of the actors, the video shows how one can utilise the stay-at-home period productively. "We [roped in] top television stars so that it resonates with people across the country. This is our endeavour to encourage everyone to stay home," adds Kapoor.

Roy, who features in the video that drops online today, believes one must use the time to pause and reflect. "I remember reading that it would be sad if we came out of this experience unchanged. The need of the hour is to stay in, take care of yourself and your families, and maintain social distancing."

Positivity is key to tackling the crisis, says Sonali Jaffar, who conceptualised the feature. "We may not be able to control the events, but we have the power to not get reduced by them. The television fraternity has come together to abide by what is considered the new normal," she says.


Sidharth Shukla, Mouni Roy and Anita Hassanandani
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Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 24, 2020)

Inspired by the Salman Khan-hosted reality show, Bigg Boss, a soon-to-release music video, the brain child of Ekta Kapoor, encourages people to stay indoors during the lockdown. The TV czarina has roped in all the top names from the small screen, including Mouni Roy, Divyanka Tripathi, Anita Hassanandani, Erica Fernandes, Parth Samthaan, Sidharth Shukla, Manish Paul, Shabir Ahluwalia, Shehnaaz Gill, Sriti Jha, Karishma Tanna, Reem Sameer Shaikh, Karan V Grover, Aasif Sheikh and Karan Jotwani.

“An initiative by the TV producers’ association, the video was planned over several conference calls and is a team effort, encouraging people to stay home,” Ekta asserts. Remo D’souza features as the Big Boss, ordering inmates to complete tasks. “It was fun to be a part of this project,” says the choreographer-turned-filmmaker who is working on a few scripts. “There is a lot of reading, brainstorming and writing happening.”

J D Majethia, Chairman, IFTPC (Indian Film and Television Producers Council), is ecstatic to have the industry rally behind the cause. “One message from Ekta on the (TV producers’ texting) group and we have an entertaining multistarrer, titled Quarantined, made without having artistes under one roof,” he gushes.