Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 27, 2020)

Gauahar Khan travelled to Pune earlier this month to take care of her ailing father, who needed an urgent surgery. She stayed there for over 20 days in a hospital, keeping a tab on her dad’s health, medicine and ensuring everything is always sanitised.

But what disappointed her were the comments she got when she posted a video of herself singing in her car en route to Pune. “They said, ‘Tumhe sharam nahi aati? Celebrities ke liye rules nahin hai’. Covid chal raha hai toh kya aadmi jee nahi sakta? If you are a celeb, people will judge you instantly. I tried to keep my social media fun and it was also a distraction for me. But the comments of some people were really uncalled for. People make assumptions. Don’t taunt people who are trying to be happy on social media during the Coronavirus pandemic. You can’t explain everything to everyone, especially if you have an emergency. I explained only once my dad was recovering,” shares the actor.

Khan stayed in the hospital throughout, and recalls a day when sourcing food during the lockdown was tough. She says, “This whole month has been so difficult with the travelling and being in Pune during the lockdown. Being in a hospital with a senior citizen and taking care of him, while ensuring whoever came into the room was sanitised was stressful. I would stand guard as the doctors and nurses would be in and out all through the day. Thankfully, it was an old bungalow turned into a hospital, so there were fewer people. They took utmost care of my dad, and were so wonderful. I am exhausted and haven’t slept properly in all these days.”

Having lived in Pune during her growing up years, she enjoyed being in the city for such a long period of time. “In tough times, you realise the energy and ability you have to face difficult situations. I am the youngest in the family and my mum is in Mumbai, my sisters and brother are abroad, and they have all been calling and checking up on dad and me, constantly,” she signs off.