Exclusive: Vrushika Mehta on resuming work amid pandemic, "Life ko pause nahi kar sakte"

“When I decided to resume shooting for my new project a few days back, my mom was very sceptical and scared. Although a lot of precautions are being taken on the sets, there were actors who tested positive for COVID-19 after the shooting for various TV shows began after the lockdown. But one has to slowly get back to work while taking all safety measures.Kitne din aap ghar par hi baithe rahenge?” asks Vrushika Mehta, who recently got back to acting on the small screen.
‘Good to be back, but can’t afford to get careless about safety’
My mom was more scared than me when I decided to resume shooting. It’s because once the shooting of daily soaps resumed, we would hear about actors testing positive even though everyone was following all the safety guidelines. But life ko aap bahot jyaada pause ya full stop nahi kar sakte. While it is good that we are braving the situation, we can’t afford to get lackadaisical about everyone’s safety around us. Post lockdown, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai has been my first TV outing and I was a little nervous about it. Apart from the pandemic, being a part of an already established TV show was a bit daunting. But everyone on the sets, including the leads Mohsin Khan, Shivangi Joshi and child artist Aarambh Tehran Sehgal, made me super comfortable and being with them has been a fun experience. In fact, Aarambh and I bonded instantly. I spend a lot of time with my five-year-old neighbour when I am not shooting and that experience has helped.
‘Dance is my first love and I will never stay away from it’

I’ve always believed in taking one step at a time and the pandemic has just further proved my point. I’m well aware that whatever I’ve achieved today is because of dance and I will never stay away from it. I spent a lot of time creating dance videos for my social media handles during the lockdown. In the coming months, along with a daily soap, I plan to do more youth-oriented, fun and relatable content for the digital platform, as it will help me to stay connected with them. Making dance videos, sketches and short videos with friends during the lockdown was very therapeutic.
‘Spent time with family, reconnected with friends during lockdown’

I had just finished my last show Yeh Teri Galiyan in February and in March, the lockdown was announced. So, I got the time to relax and take it a little easy. I spent quality time with my family. Over the years, I had lost touch with many of my school and college friends due to work commitments. The lockdown gave me enough time to reconnect with them and my distant relatives through my personal social media handle, which I usually don’t use much. My dad’s fufaji had created a group and organised a virtual game of housie. There were close to 30 members and it was thoroughly enjoyable. He was anchoring the games and we had cash prizes. At one point, me, my dad and brother were winning all cash prizes; Mehta (laughs)!”