Ayub Khan: If things don’t get better, I will have to start asking for help

“I haven’t earned any money since the last one and a half year, and am down to the last little pennies now,” confesses actor Ayub Khan, who fears that if the ongoing Covid-19 crisis doesn’t improve and work doesn’t get back on track soon, he’d have no other option but to look out for help.

Referring to the 15-day shutdown imposed in Maharashtra given the spike in Covid-19 cases and how shoots have again been stalled, the actor admits, “It is affecting work, and emotional state as everyone is struggling. It’s been one and a half years since I’ve not been working (regularly). I’ve earned no money. So, the strain is huge.”

But, he understands there’s not much he can do about the scenario, because it is not a “normal situation”.

The 52-year-old elaborates, “You can’t do anything. You just have to make do with whatever you have. And, God forbid, if things go from bad to worse, one will have to put out a hand for help. What else can you do?”

The actor rose to fame on the big screen over two decades ago, with the film Mashooq (1992), and has since then, also achieved recognition on the small screen. At the moment, while Khan is somehow managing things, he fears he won’t be continue doing so for too long.

“By that time, if things don’t get better or I don’t start working, I’ll have to start asking for help. So, I do hope things get better soon and everyone gets back on track,” says the actor, who has featured in shows such as Uttaran, Shakti: Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki and Ranju Ki Betiyaan.

For Khan, the virus crisis is deeply personal as he has seen close family members and friends fighting and losing the isolated battle. “I lost two of my uncles and a couple of friends. So, I know the exact loss. My uncle walked into the hospital and his dead body came out,” he shares, and prays no one goes through that grief.

However, the carelessness of people has left the actor worried.

“Today, even the educated people are saying, ‘Arrey kuch nahi’. What’s wrong with their sensibilities? Just because it doesn’t happen to you, it doesn’t happen to your near and dear ones, so they don’t feel the pinch. The moment it’ll start hitting the near ones, tab sab ko jhatka lagega,” says Khan, petrified with the current “humongous” wave of the crisis in the country.