Larger Issues Than Being Bored: Rasika Dugal on the COVID Lockdown

[00:00:00] You are listening to the Quint's podcast.

[00:00:17] So hello and welcome back to another episode of OffScreen.

[00:00:20] And so usually we are talking to actors or directors about their current work, but given

[00:00:25] the current situation, the lockdown all of us are pretty much confined to our homes.

[00:00:30] But the showmas go on and so today our guest is Raseka Dugal.

[00:00:34] Hi Raseka.

[00:00:35] Hi, how are you?

[00:00:37] I'm good and welcome back to OffScreen who would have thought we'd be doing it like this,

[00:00:43] but then we are at the Natsai.

[00:00:46] We're going to our office in Bombay and now I'm sitting in Amdhubar talking to you and

[00:00:53] you're in Bombay.

[00:00:54] So, oh, how do you remember what?

[00:00:57] I've come back home.

[00:00:58] Oh, yeah.

[00:00:59] I could get away from not having to reach out when cooking.

[00:01:04] So, I must say I'm very envious of your position.

[00:01:08] So, you were having a lot of that.

[00:01:13] I was just going to ask like my first question was how are you holding up?

[00:01:15] Like how has it been, how the last few weeks been?

[00:01:19] Well, honestly I have had absolutely no issues staying at home.

[00:01:25] And I mean, except for the circumstances which has brought to me to doing this besides

[00:01:34] that I'm actually very very happy.

[00:01:36] I am just saying because it's really I think a break that was I was looking for for a

[00:01:42] long time, but I hadn't had the courage to take a break.

[00:01:48] That's the best way that I can put it in.

[00:01:51] So, this is a well-deserved kind of time off?

[00:01:55] Yeah, I mean I wish the circumstances were different of course.

[00:02:00] But which I've chosen this rather than what we all have to do.

[00:02:07] Yes, I haven't really used sort of using this time too.

[00:02:11] I think the first 10 days I just slept.

[00:02:13] I didn't need to catch up on sleep and I was beginning to get a little worried for myself

[00:02:18] because I was sleeping really long hours.

[00:02:21] What is happening to me?

[00:02:24] And I was like should I be going and getting this check?

[00:02:26] Should I be calling somebody and checking something wrong?

[00:02:29] But I think I've right before that I had been shooting night trips for daily crimes season two.

[00:02:34] So it takes a while to come out of the night shift routine.

[00:02:37] Right.

[00:02:38] It's like a jet.

[00:02:39] So you needed that time to kind of recuperate?

[00:02:42] Yeah, so I think the first few days were just to physically be okay.

[00:02:49] And then yeah, I've been trying to do all those things that I was really struggling to find

[00:02:55] time for even like routine things like having a regular exercise regime.

[00:03:00] And just being at home just so that I know where my things are, what happens in this house that I live in.

[00:03:06] It was practically being run by my house help.

[00:03:09] So I had little say in the matter.

[00:03:15] Just to sort of get reacquainted to my own space because I've been shooting out of town.

[00:03:21] And so much driving for me.

[00:03:23] So the lockdown hadn't driven you crazy yet?

[00:03:27] Not at all, in fact.

[00:03:28] It's really given me I think the time that I needed and I also I think just needed some time to think through

[00:03:34] all that's happened in the last few years just to sort of gather them and feel whatever I feel about it.

[00:03:39] Yeah.

[00:03:40] And the good and the bad.

[00:03:41] So it's been like there's a lot of introspection that can happen when you're cleaning dishes.

[00:03:47] Sorry, it's a good time to do that.

[00:03:52] So I've been doing a lot of that.

[00:03:54] I have not felt the need to socialize or to go out.

[00:03:58] The only thing I miss possibly is going for a run.

[00:04:02] That's something I always enjoyed doing.

[00:04:04] So that is not impossible.

[00:04:06] But besides that, I'm not really I'm quite happy to meet that with people on WhatsApp and once in a while

[00:04:14] and all of that just beyond my own.

[00:04:16] So far I'm comfortable.

[00:04:19] Yeah, and also I think we're also lucky that we're in spaces where we can kind of do that.

[00:04:23] Where we are in a place where we have food to eat and so.

[00:04:29] Yes, it's absolutely.

[00:04:31] I mean when I sometimes have to say that I get impatient with people if they say that they're bored because I'm like hello that is not a problem.

[00:04:38] The problem is when you don't have food.

[00:04:42] The problem is.

[00:04:44] I mean, all of us have.

[00:04:46] I mean, we have the privilege of a saving also so it's not like we act them out every day and that there's a problem.

[00:04:53] I'm very concerned about some people who I know personally why work for example the film industry is a lot of daily wage people.

[00:05:00] Daily wage earners and it's difficult for them at the time like this and I've been in touch with the few people who I know and I try to help in whatever way I can without being patronizing anyway.

[00:05:13] I believe fun also I believe it was created by the.

[00:05:17] I contribute to that also produces really fun there too I hear I because I contributed to one and then I heard there's another which I haven't looked into but I've contributed to one and some other NGOs who I feel are doing good work you know I mean that's that is that those are very big concerns and I think I swallow problems of film release me.

[00:05:37] I mean, and you know we don't have we have to do a job.

[00:05:44] It's fine you can sort of vent out these things once in a while as long as the realization that hello you have a lot and much more than a lot of people have and we are in the middle of a pandemic so boredom is not the biggest problem but I know you mentioned that people should be allowed to vent

[00:06:04] you know there was this conversation because there were people I think who said that you know stop putting on workout videos and stop putting the pictures of you baking and this and all the time for it and things like that what do you think about that you think that people should be allowed to express themselves or should we be more careful about what we're putting out be more sensitive.

[00:06:21] It's a tough one actually what I've been struggling with it myself what constitutes as flaunting privilege I don't know but it's something that I'm very conscious of and I don't know if I am flaunting privilege or not maybe I am maybe I'm guilty of that too but it's a question I ask myself at the beginning.

[00:06:41] I guess it's and see the thing about privilege is there'll always be people who are less privileged than you there'll always be people who are more privileged than you.

[00:06:49] So what you put out is your own standard of privilege or not so it will never match everybody's right right it is always a relative difference.

[00:07:04] So I mean yeah I think you should be see you're sitting at home if you're the kind of person who likes to express themselves or if you're the kind of person who has to express themselves for sort of people that you're people who are your audience for example which is the kind of thing that actors have to do sometimes you know some actors feel the pressure to do sometimes or want to do sometimes and so then to decide if you ask yourself this question everyday I think that's better.

[00:07:32] I've known other notes since people are at home and since you have done so many shows that people can watch now.

[00:07:38] What's in that form? I want to know what are you watching and what is it that you would like everyone's looking for recommendations and you know everyone's looking at the next thing to kind of binge watch.

[00:07:48] What are you watching what could recommend.

[00:07:50] So I'll tell you what all I've watched.

[00:07:53] I watched the spy which is on Netflix and interesting nicely done not the world's best show according to me but interesting because based on a true story so it takes you so you can like watch the series and like Google everything Google the hell out of everything and find some very interesting facts.

[00:08:16] So it's a waste on a true story and but decently done show I sort of enjoyed it but not the best then I start watched money highest which I did not like at all.

[00:08:33] Really yeah did you watch it why haven't I was just asking someone today is it worth the kind of time investment.

[00:08:40] So something to me yeah it's it's it's a it's one of those shows which is I keep comparing it to eating fingers.

[00:08:50] It's like while you're eating it it's not the days these things will have to go on to the next.

[00:08:58] And those are the kind of shows which really make me very uncomfortable because I'm like hello no I don't want this.

[00:09:05] Get me out of this addiction.

[00:09:09] I thought you knew.

[00:09:11] So not I had to not not read it's an issue also for people who.

[00:09:18] It has it has a nice title track.

[00:09:22] I enjoyed that but otherwise not the best show I watched this show called I love I watched a very beautiful film which I recommend very highly.

[00:09:37] I mean besides my story and all which a lot of people have watched and there's a film there's an animation film called I lost my body.

[00:09:46] It was very beautiful.

[00:09:49] It was nominated for the Oscars this year didn't win but very nice and it has a very beautiful background score and I know this down to myself.

[00:10:00] It's really worth it.

[00:10:02] I think I'm going to watch it again actually because it's just one of those fancy watching like so beautifully done.

[00:10:08] Really one it's like a piece of art.

[00:10:13] So these are the things that you've been watching.

[00:10:16] Now I'm watching succession and it's so good on hot star.

[00:10:21] It is so well performed I cannot tell you and it relies very heavily on its actors like a marriage story also I felt was I think a very,

[00:10:30] very tough film for the actors because it's so it relies so heavily on performance that you can't not be there 100%.

[00:10:39] So I was very moved by that film for that reason.

[00:10:42] I was like the actors really gave it to you very, very good.

[00:10:46] Succession has some very interesting characters and so well performed.

[00:10:52] It's a treat.

[00:10:53] It really all the actors are fantastic.

[00:10:55] How do you think that using people's viewing experience is going to be altered after this because people are going to be scared to go to the theatre?

[00:11:02] But I don't know the optimist in me feels like it's all going to come back.

[00:11:06] What do you think?

[00:11:09] I think people adapt quickly so it might take a bit but I think they'll read up quickly if things are safe.

[00:11:17] But if things are not and if there is, I mean for I think that the only one way that people can feel safe is when the vaccine is found.

[00:11:28] So till then I think it's still always going to be, you know people are going to be fearful of where they're going or that that thing all of that is going to remain till that happens.

[00:11:41] But once that happens I think that I think that life will get back to normal.

[00:11:48] Because you know there are so many things that things will be rigidly, then we'll be very, then we'll be fewer cinema experience than people who are going to go to because they'll be worried.

[00:11:57] But then yeah it's our memories are also short.

[00:12:01] And people are optimistic.

[00:12:05] People feel like at some basic level which can be a good thing and a bad thing is people feel that they're invincible.

[00:12:14] They do feel that and they can lead to very stupid behavior sometimes but it can also lead to optimism and recovery.

[00:12:25] Yeah we've been through a lot of horribles I mean you mankind has been through a lot of horrible things so yeah, I will get past this too.

[00:12:32] But I like I mean my final question to you is that do you think that people will fundamentally change off this experience or do you think human beings are a creature of habit and it really won't take us time to kind of go back to.

[00:12:43] Or always depends on how long this lasts because if this last very long then this is going to become habit.

[00:12:55] And then that then we would have changed.

[00:12:59] But if this is as short lived as everybody today is thinking that most people are thinking then yeah I think we'll spring back to what life used to be before this.

[00:13:13] But if this goes on for long, I think we would have changed.

[00:13:17] Yeah, as in I mean fundamentally using the way we interact with each other, the way we value things, the way we look at life.

[00:13:22] You see that changing because of this because you know this is such an unprecedented thing.

[00:13:27] I mean my 80 year old grandmother has also never seen something like this so it's like across generations it's like a shock.

[00:13:34] It is it is a very like yesterday I was going down to get some stuff because nobody's allowed into the building so after walk to the gates to get things and I was like

[00:13:46] I just turned around to my husband and I said I can't believe that I didn't think that in my lifetime I would see a pandemic.

[00:13:54] Yeah, it's quite strange.

[00:13:58] It is so strange.

[00:14:00] So is it a serial?

[00:14:03] So I mean it is a very big thing right so it is a bit I don't know what the in I mean we still we are in the middle of it right now.

[00:14:18] So I don't know what the impact on it is the final impact of it is going to be but I mean in some way it's already affected all of us.

[00:14:30] In some way it is made you realize for one that you can't take your health for granted for example just that thought.

[00:14:39] So yeah I don't know.

[00:14:44] Wash your hands we should do this as a kid our teachers to tell us and then be all kind of left that habit eventually.

[00:14:51] I actually used to wash my hands a lot anyway.

[00:14:58] I was a mother as a habit that every time anybody enters the house she's a hard boy and I used to mix them up.

[00:15:04] And the funny thing is once I went to live with my aunt when I was 16 I went to stay with her for a week and I entered the house and she said hard boy.

[00:15:14] I was like oh my god this is genetic.

[00:15:19] And I hear myself doing that sometimes when somebody comes into the house I'm like hard boy.

[00:15:27] It's not a problem for you at all.

[00:15:31] But it means I don't even have my hands.

[00:15:36] Yeah I think everyone's going people are washing vegetables people are washing the wipe every packet that comes to the house.

[00:15:43] So yeah we also do quite some things.

[00:15:47] Thank you so much for doing this.

[00:15:50] Thank you.

[00:15:53] I hope I hope things can get better soon.

[00:15:55] See you on the other side hopefully.

[00:15:59] Bye.

[00:16:02] So that's all for today and with this we come to the end of the screen.

[00:16:07] I've had a great time doing this podcast and I hope you guys had a great time listening to it.

[00:16:12] Please stay safe, stay home and stay healthy.

[00:16:16] Bye.