On March 19, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi urged the citizens to maintain Janta Curfew on March 22, from 7 am to 9 pm to avoid getting any kind of contamination with the deadly coronavirus that has killed almost 9,000 people worldwide. While the support from Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Ajay Devgn was expected, even Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan requested their fans to follow the guidelines set by the ruling government and not travel in public unless it is absolutely necessary. 

Bollywood Junta

The support included Bollywood personalities such as Anubhav Sinha, Shabana Azmi, Deepika Padukone who have lauded Prime Minister's initial step to congratulate the doctors and keep the citizens safe during the lockdown. Despite their disagreements with the incumbent regime, at a time of crisis, they kept their differences aside and supported the Prime Minister. 

This was perhaps the first time that various members of the film community left their ideological differences aside and came together to support the words of PM Narendra Modi. However, do they understand the plight of the salaried and wage-earning, non-government employees in India, whose daily earnings completely depend on their attendance at work?

On March 19, among many other things, Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested employers not to reduce the salaries of their employees for adhering to the social distancing protocol and avoiding their workspace, or choosing to work from home. A report on Mint stated that the central government employees have been asked to work from home, and those above the age of 50 years can take leaves without producing a medical certificate to avoid unnecessary burden on the healthcare system amid the ongoing coronavirus scare. Another report on The Economic Times stated that the Uttar Pradesh government has set up a high-level committee chaired by the state's Finance Minister, Rajesh Agarwal for transfer of money to daily wage labourers who are likely to suffer the most for this sudden curfew that has been imposed out of necessity. 

When it comes to salaried employees in the private sector or daily-wage labourers, not everyone has the privilege to stay-at-home and not worry about their next paycheque, especially when their job-profile involves their physical presence and contribution. As producer Ronnie Screwvala rightfully pointed out, "With no roadside stalls open today- Would be good if in each skyscraper to the bungalow to building - we think of the Security Guards and the others who so efficiently look after what we notice least in our rat race - and send them some breakfast/lunch/dinner & Chai! What say..." 

Well, Ronnie, it's nice to see that you took note of the other side of the problem while also supporting the curfew which was necessary to save our nation from peril. This is the perspective that the privileged sections of Bollywood need to understand and take a decision accordingly, while also supporting the Central Government's decision on lockdown. 

On August 2018, Amitabh Bachchan had donated Rs 2.8 crores to farmers to waive off their loans; in 2017, Akshay Kumar had paid a sum of Rs 50 lakh to drought-hit farmers in Maharashtra; in 2015, when the terrifying Chennai floods destroyed normal lives, Shah Rukh Khan donated a sum of Rs 1 crore to Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund. While these have been their contributions to recover from some of these major crises, there will be a few debates regarding whether or not to support everyone who chooses to remain on leave or adhere to the guidelines set by the government due to the crisis at hand. 

In 2017, Akshay Kumar had started the Bharat Ke Veer fund-raising initiative along with then Home Minister Rajnath Singh to help the families of the Indian paramilitary forces. The app had allowed a donation of up to Rs 15 lakh to each individual's account.

A similar initiative can be started by the members of the Hindi Film Industry. Here's a start: You can give paid leaves to those chauffeurs, domestic help, spot boys, who work for you. Next, the members can start a portal where those who suffered financially due to the coronavirus crisis can send in their wage details, documents, and ensure the details remain private. Along with this, there can be scrutiny, cross-checking because we cannot be in denial about the existence of fraudsters who would jump at the opportunity to get free money. 

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