Actress Vandana Vithlani: Have started making rakhis and selling them

Vandana Vithlani with her Saath Nibhaana Saathiya co-star Mohammad Nazim. Picture/Vithlani's Facebook account

The coronavirus lockdown has been difficult on everyone. There aren't many people who didn't feel the impact of it financially, emotionally or physically. The entertainment industry is one of the worst hit during the lockdown as shoots were cancelled and things had come to a complete standstill. In all of this, there are reports of the cast of the TV show Hamari Bahu Silk not getting their dues in time.

Vandana Vithlani, who plays Janki Joshi in the show, recently spoke to ETimes about her financial struggles during the coronavirus lockdown and not getting her dues from the producers of Hamari Bahu Silk. To support herself financially, the actress has started making rakhis and selling them.

Sharing her ordeal, Vandana Vithlani said, "I shot from May to October 2019, but have been paid only for the month of May. My dues run into lakhs of rupees. It's been more than a year without any payment and I have exhausted all my savings. I had bagged a role in 'Musakaan' in November 2019, but it shut down in two months. I was paid for that show, but how long would it last?"

She added, "I have now started making rakhis and selling them online to keep myself engaged and also make some money. Obviously, I am not earning much, but anything is good at this point."

Also read: Telly Tattle: Zaan Khan Lost 12 Kgs For His Role In Hamari Bahu Silk

Vandana Vithlani also shared that her husband, Vipul, being a theatre artist, he too has been out of work due to the pandemic. "I had auditioned for shows in January, but everything came to a standstill. Our finances have taken a hit. We also have to manage our children's school and college fees. I am just waiting for some project to come my way," she said.

The issues with the TV show Hamari Bahu Silk have been going on for a while now. The show's lead actress, Chahat Pandey, is one of the worst hit. The actress's co-star from the show, Zaan Khan, had shared in an interview, "Chahat had actually attempted to commit suicide, but it was her mother who came to her rescue. Her mother stopped her from taking the drastic step. She has struggled a lot to be an actress, this money means a lot to her. It is the first time that she has earned such a big amount, but to her sheer bad luck, she is deprived of this also. She is the sole earning member in her family, her father is no more, and she has two small brothers and a mother to look after."

Kriti Sanon, too, had spoken up for the cast and crew of the show, appealing to the producers of the show to pay their dues. Kriti had shared a video of a technician working on the show, a video that was earlier posted by Zaan on Instagram.

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