Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin was shooting for his next web project in Manali when the second wave of Coronavirus took over the country. Witnessing the situation, he decided to stay back for a longer period than intended.

“It was a lockdown all over, including Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh. Leaving Manali would have meant taking cabs and multiple flights, so it wasn’t a good time. I took it as the universe sending a sign that this is where I had to be,” he muses.

Bhasin, who has a host of projects lined up next including Looop Lapeta and ’83, shares, “I first shot for Looop Lapeta in Mumbai and Goa, then came here for this series. It’s a complete lockdown here as well, just with a better view and weather.”

Amid all this, getting the first dose of the vaccine became a task for the 34-year-old. “When the slots for ages 18 and above started opening, I checked around, and the only one was available at a small village called Jagatsukh, which is an hour away from my place, and I also needed transportation. We had to apply for an e-pass,” recounts the Chhichhore (2019) actor.

Expressing his gratitude for managing to get the jab, he says, “They had converted a small primary school into a health centre. It was beautiful and surreal, looking at the whole Kullu Manali valley while waiting for vaccination.”