Amit Sadh: Locked away in the Himalayas

When the lockdown began actor Amit Sadh was quarantined far away in the Himalaya, away from the madding crowd.

“I guess that explains why I’m not restless even after two months in quarantine. I was in a place called Mukhteshwar in the forest. In fact for three weeks I was in a tent with no electricity no news little social media no contact with the city. Just me in the lap of nature. Over there the pandemic felt like a distant reality.”

Now Amit is back in Mumbai, and the reality of the current crisis has hit him hard. “The sense of freedom I felt in the Himalayas is lost. That apart I can’t complain. I always have led a very disciplined life, lockdown or no. I sleep at 9 pm and wake up at 5 am. I have dinner at 6 pm. That’s been my routine for so many years.”

Amit’s routine in lockdown is identical to a majority of Indians. “ I am doing what everyone else is: cleaning, washing, masking…what the lockdown has shown us is that we are equals. I hope we remember that. I am disturbed to see racism and discrimination raise their ugly heads all over the world again. I do hope we don’t go back to being the kind of selfish civilization we used to be before the pandemic. If that’s the case then we should question if we deserve a second shot at life.”

Amit Sadh follows a dietry routine , lockdown or no. “I don’t eat more or less than usual. I eat when I am hungry and I eat as much as I want. Except when I have to look a particular way for a role.Otherwise I’m always introspective irrespective of the lockdown. I am not doing anything now that I don’t normally do. I am not binge watching any shows because I never do. I loved Paatal Lok. I saw Netflix’s Hollywood. It made me cry. Bollywood should take a cue from it. This is what cinema should be.”

Amit is not wasting any time during the lockdown. “I am not on the field working. In the Hills I was walking a lot. In Mumbai I am writing, chatting with friends, planning a podcast show. As for working-out, in India it is overrated. I don’t have access to a gym but I am doing my exercizes at home. But only as much as I need. I will have to start working-out rigorously after the lockdown for my role in the OTT series Breathe.”