Himani Shivpuri on industry’s daily wagers; wonders if distancing will bring back ‘flower kissing’ ways
Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 1, 2020)

When the Coronavirus lockdown started, Himani Shivpuri was grateful as it enabled her to practice yoga and brisk walking on the same day. But after two months, the veteran actress is feeling the heat and is upset by the government’s apathy towards the entertainment industry. “We are always the first to offer help in times of distress, yet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman didn’t think it necessary to address our plight. I understand we’re better off than migrant labourers, in that we have homes to live in and food on the table, but we’re also daily wage workers because our homes run on salaries,” she points out.

Himani insists that TV industry’s norm of 90-day deferred payments be stopped immediately. “We’ve only been paid till last November, and that too because it was a reliable producer. Many are struggling to make ends meet,” she sighs. While producers are trying to resume shooting, promising to follow social distancing rules, the actress is not convinced. “A TV show requires a crew of 400 people and actors can’t shoot with masks. And do they plan to go back to ‘flower-kissing’ ways?” wonders Himani, who used to spend 12 hours on the sets of the TV show Happu Ki Ultan Paltan playing Katori amma. Another two hours were spent in the commute to reach Naigaon. “By the time I returned home, I even stopped my mother from watching TV. Now I’m addicted to the idiot box,” she laughs, saying she’s been binging on yesteryear hits which brought back fond memories of Salman Khan and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! “Our first shot was a regular scene. Suddenly, he picked me up and whirled me around. My surprise was for real. The next time I was prepared and playfully slapped him in response,” she chortles.

When they were in Mauritius for Biwi No 1, he didn’t turn up for a morning shoot and Himani, who had gone shopping because her call time was in the afternoon, was dragged back from the mall. “When Salman learnt what had happened, he apologised,” she recalls.

She remembers another Khan, Shah Rukh, who walked up to her on the sets of Anjaam and reminded her that he’d been a part of the crowd in a National Award-winning film, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones, in which she had played the female protagonist.