Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; June 18, 2020)

Actor Ali Fazal’s mother passed away on Wednesday, in Lucknow, following health complications. The actor shared the news on Twitter, saying, “I’ll live the rest of yours for you. Miss you Amma. Yahi tak thhaa humaara, pata nahi kyun. You were the source of my creativity. My everything. Aagey alfaaz nahi rahe. Love, Ali (sic).” The actor is in Lucknow.

His spokesperson said, “It is with great sorrow we inform you that Ali Fazal’s mother passed away on the morning of June 17, 2020, in Lucknow after quick succession of health complications. Her passing was sudden and we pray for her peace. Ali is grateful for the love and support of his fans in these testing times. A personal loss of this magnitude also needs silence. He requests his fans and the press for some privacy at this point.”

Ali was to get married to his actress girlfriend Richa Chadha in April, but had to postpone it due to the Coronavirus crisis. “He wanted his close friends and family to be at the wedding. This will shatter him the most, the absence of his mother at his wedding,” said a friend.

Titas Chowdhury (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 16, 2020)

“I try to go home every year during Ramzan but I remain busy with my shoots. I tried this year, too, but it was impossible in the current situation,” says Ali Fazal who’s currently nestled at his house in Bandra. A few days ago, he revealed his desire to request the police to permit him to go meet his lady love, actor Richa Chadha. “If we take the right precautions, we can go and meet our loved ones. I talk to her but I wish I could go and meet her. But there are restrictions because people are going around without masks and loitering around on the streets,” he shares.

Apart from keeping himself busy with household chores, the actor is making use of the Coronavirus lockdown and is planning to venture into scriptwriting. He shares, “I’m not a poet. I just write for myself. But someday, if I believe that I’m worth something, I might write professionally. I’m currently developing some scripts. Going ahead, I would want to try my hand at screenplay writing.”

Fazal confides that he’s haunted with bouts of anxiety and fear as he’s quarantined at home but his friends are keeping his spirits up. Talking about his recent virtual party, he excitedly says, “It was fun! Poorna Jagannathan had invited Richa and me. It was a nice get-together through an Instagram live session. We played some cool songs. A lot of artistes such as Mahershala Ali, Mindy Kaling, and Anoushka Shankar joined in.”

So, what’s the first thing the actor wants to do soon after the lockdown is lifted? “I want to go home. My mother is lonely and I want to spend time with her. Then I want to resume work. We’ve already wasted half the year to a tragic incident. We need to start making up for the lost time,” he signs off.