Television actor Arjun Bijlani's mornings begin with a call to mother Shakti, the first of many times he dials her number throughout the day. His anxiety is not unfounded — last week, the highrise near Infiniti mall in Malad west, where his mother resides, was sealed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after a resident tested positive for COVID-19.

"The lockdown is not easy, especially if you have ageing parents. It's unbelievable that I am not able to meet my mother," says Bijlani, who lives with wife Neha Swami and son Ayaan in Lokhandwala, Andheri.