After his debut film, Yeh Saali Aashiqui (2019), Vardhan Puri signed three films, but they were shelved due to the pandemic. The actor says having spent a few years as an actor and assistant director, he has met a lot of people who pretended to have connections in the film industry, including those who take advantage of actors promising work in return.

“Some people directly ask you for sexual favours, and say, ‘You pay me this much and I will get you this’. Someone would say, main aapko X, Y, Z se milaunga or woh aapke liye film likh rahe hain. And later, you learn that the person doesn’t even know the director and woh industry ka hissa hi nahin hain. They just try to make a quick buck,” he shares.

After the pandemic, the first film that brought Puri back from his sabbatical was filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s Nautanki. Interestingly, in an interview in April 2022, Agnihotri stated that he was “not associated with the film anymore”. Agnihotri said that he shot the film during the first lockdown to help his friend (actor) Anupam Kher and even helped with the first cut as a friendly gesture and that he has no idea about the final product.

Ask Puri about the development and the actor, without divulging much, admits things are on track. He adds, “That’s an old story. I’m not allowed to talk about it. Everything is great now and he (Agnihotri) is very proud of the film.”

The pandemic has affected people in various ways — physically and emotionally. The last year has been a roller-coaster of sorts for Anupam Kher, too. The actor, whose mother and brother recovered from Coronavirus in 2020, is now completely focussed on being there for his wife, actor-politician Kirron Kher, as she battles cancer. Apart from that, like many of his colleagues, he is also doing his bit to help those affected by the pandemic. In a conversation with BT, the actor spoke about the challenges he faced in the year gone by and how he has kept his chin up in these trying times. Excerpts:

When I looked around during the second wave, I thought either one could get angry and frustrated and feel helpless, or do something to help. In the bid to do something constructive, my friends and I collaborated and created a bridge between those in need and their requirements — equipment, medicines, and so on. Everyone has faced this pandemic in some way - I lost a close friend of many years, Sujata, to it. She had battled kidney failure years ago. She had recently had a transplant and had begun to live freely again, but things were not meant to be. My family was infected last year. This lockdown has also led to many mental health issues, which we will realise when we get to the other side. We have a project in place for that, too. We have a panel of professionals and a team of volunteers who can help. Once people are through with the physical damages, we will have to assess the mental damages of this pandemic.

Kirron’s health is improving. It’s a tough treatment. She often says that the lockdown and COVID situation have made things difficult. Patients going through this treatment need something to distract themselves. She can’t go out or meet people, but the good part is that Kirron is on her way to better health. She is holding up fine. There are days when she is positive and then there are days when the chemotherapy impacts her state in many ways. We are all trying our best and she is doing it, too. The doctors do their job, but you have to keep your mental state strong to get past such a difficult treatment. She’s making every effort towards that, and so are we.

Acting is a part of my life, it’s not my life. And at all times, we have to be ready to lose something to gain something. Quitting the American show was a difficult decision — career-wise, financially and otherwise. But my family and my wife Kirron needed me more. It’s not like I won’t get work here. If you stay away for two or more years, duniya aage nikal jaati hai. Mushkil ho sakta hai, namumkin to nahi hoga na? I have already got films like The Kashmir Files, Rohit Dhawan’s next, Sooraj Barjatya’s next and Nautanki in my kitty, and I have already shot for two. If needed, I will ring up my friends and ask for work… ki bhai ghar chalta rahe. Life is all about making decisions and difficult decisions on most occasions. That is how you discover yourself as a person.

Yes, I have been in touch. Robert had messaged me when he learned about Kirron’s health. He had also sent me a video to wish me on my birthday, and he keeps checking on Kirron’s health every few days. I had texted him after seeing his ad with Roger Federer, and in response, all he wanted to know was my family’s well-being and how Kirron was doing.

I had read a beautiful line, ‘Everything is okay at the end, if it is not okay, it’s not the end’. As optimistic and positive as you may be, things do affect you, but hope is the heart of life. You may go through difficult situations, but if you stop being hopeful, you can’t live. It’s meaningless. It’s hope that takes you through everything. People have lost friends, loved ones, young ones... You have to find the zest for life and find hope to go on, no matter what. Giving up is not an option, ever. I am not an escapist. Yes, there are days when I am low. You can either be devastated or believe that there will be another tomorrow. Draw strength from nature... it does not change its course come what may. Motivation stems from there, which can help you surpass tragedies.

There is a germ of a thought... nothing concrete. It will be about motivation, encouragement and life.