Amyra Dastur, who had started working on an upcoming project post the lockdown last year, had to reshuffle her schedule as she tested positive for Coronavirus soon after. Talking about the ordeal and recovery, she says, “I was doing trials with my stylist, and was three days into it, when she tested positive for COVID-19. Soon, I developed a slight fever and tested positive, too. I quarantined myself immediately in the house where I was living alone. For the first three days, I was completely down. I couldn’t move and that was the scariest thing. I was in so much pain as my joints and body ached. After the third day, I began feeling a little better. Once the 14-day quarantine period was over and I tested negative, I resumed shooting.”

Elaborating on those 14 days of being alone, Amyra, who has been a part of films like Kung Fu Yoga and Prassthanam as well as a few web shows, says, “The only two things that kept me sane were my fixation for cleanliness and spending time reading scripts. My mom would send dabbas of food with my driver, who would leave it in the elevator of my building. I would pick the dabbas once the elevator reached my floor.”

Amyra is a daughter of a front-line warrior; her father is a former surgeon who’s now the medical director of a Mumbai-based hospital. With the time that she had in hand last year, Amyra helped her father in whatever capacity she could. “Since the lockdown last year, the work dynamics have changed a lot. I never imagined that we would be shooting from the confines of our homes, or doing auditions through video calls. With free time on hand, I prioritised helping my father with his work. Last year, as his secretary couldn’t travel to work, I took up a few of her responsibilities. I would visit him at the hospital. He would get worried about me and see to it that I don’t visit the COVID ward. A big social media buff that I am, I took up the responsibility of sprucing up the hospital’s social media. I would give him some ideas to shoot in the hospital with the doctors. It was a great experience to spend time with the medical staff, and listen to their stories,” she says.

With the endless hours of work and the challenging times that the medical fraternity faced, the doctors and nurses could do with something that would elevate their spirit. Speaking about it, the Made In China actress shares, “They love Bollywood. Every time a new song comes out, they share cute videos of them dancing to it. I love interacting with them.”

Now with shoots being stalled again, Amyra is helping her father connect with NGOs and charitable organisations. “I have interesting projects lined-up, but till the time shooting begins, I am making the most of my time by helping my father with his work once again,” she signs off.