Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 15, 2020)

The Coronavirus pandemic/lockdown has, quite literally, stopped people in their tracks. And so naturally, a majority of them are unhappy about being cooped up at home for about four months now. But Anees Bazmee would rather “look at the positive side.”

“Aap aur kar bhi kya saktein hain during a pandemic. Of course, it has brought tons of problems but somewhere, I also look at it as a blessing in disguise. In ‘normal’ days, I would find it difficult to take a break with family. And even if that happened, work constantly played somewhere at the back of mind,” he says.

The Welcome (2007) director “feels great” that for the past four months, he has been with his family at their Lonavala home. “We are spending time at leisure, enjoying food, and having a great time. I consider myself lucky that I am in a privileged position unlike many who are struggling, and that pains me,” he says.

Interestingly, Bazmee had gone to Lonavala with just 5-6 pair of clothes when lockdown came into force. “Plus, I have way fewer things here than my Mumbai home but I am happily managing. I have learnt that a person can actually live and lead a quality life with much less than what he/she keeps yearning for,” he says.

Going ahead, the director wants to be “a much more relaxed” person. “I have always been a simple person who doesn’t do much ‘shosha’ about being successful. But from now on, I guess I’ll be at much more peace with what I have. Work-wise too, I have been happy to make a film in two years. But I will be more relaxed about it,” he says.

Bazmee, who was busy working on Kartik Aaryan-Kiara Advani starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 right before the lockdown, now “hopes and prays that people learn from this period.” “We should become better human beings. If this doesn’t have an effect then I feel qayamat hi aapko sudhaar sakti hai (smiles),” he says.