The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many people hard financially, but seeing stories of people helping each other out warms my heart. For instance, a 26-year old techie, who started selling vegetables after being laid off, received a job offer from actor Sonu Sood or how people donated Rs. 2 lakhs to aid a vegetable vendor who was found weeping helplessly amid Mumbai floods this year.
As per a report in News18, Ram Vrishka Gaur, who was one of the directors of the popular Indian serial ‘Balika Vadhu’ was spotted selling vegetables on a handcart in his hometown Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
He was reportedly set to start working on a Bhojpuri and a Hindi film before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. The projects were halted and the producer declared that it would take a year or more to resume shooting. Following the announcement of a nation-wide lockdown, he wasn’t able to return back home and took on his father’s business of selling vegetables on the street.
As per the Free Press Journal, he explained to the reporters, “I had come to Azamgarh for the recce of a film. We were here when the lockdown was announced and then it was not possible to return. The project we were working on was stopped and the producer said it would take another year or more to get back to work. I then decided to take on my father’s business and started selling vegetables on a handcart. I am familiar with the business and have no regrets.”
“I have my own house in Mumbai and I am confident that I will return one day. Till then, I am here doing what I can,” he concluded.
Ram Vriksha Gaur, one of the directors of the famous TV serial #BalikaVadhu, is now selling vegetables in Azamgarh district. He was all set to start work on a Bhojpuri film and then a Hindi film when the pandemic set in.https://t.co/0Oh5Egob1X
— India TV (@indiatvnews) September 28, 2020
India TV News reports that he has previously worked as an assistant director of various other films featuring celebrities like Randeep Hooda, Rajpal Yadav, Sunil Shetty, Milind Gunaji, and Yashpal Sharma.
Recalling his journey to Mumbai, he said, “I went to Mumbai in 2002 with the help of my friend and writer Shahnawaz Khan. I worked in the light department and then in the production department of TV serials. I became an assistant director in the production of many serials first, then worked as the episode director and unit director for ‘Balika Vadhu’.”
We hope the director is able to bounce back from his current situation soon!