Suchitra Pillai: I was against getting the Covid-19 vaccine, but took it for my mother

Actor Suchitra Pillai is not happy with the members of the entertainment industry who rushed to Goa after the lockdown was announced in Maharashtra.

“The ongoing chaos is crazy. We are listening to such horror stories coming out of Goa. I even lost a friend recently,” says Pillai.

Further condemning the industry people who opted for Goa as an alternative shooting destination, she adds, “People should have realised the way things were going in Goa. Everyone just threw caution into the wind, going there for shooting and other stuff. I think people just took a lot of advantage of the fact that it was more open than other cities, and that is what has really caused the chaos.”

The actor came back to Mumbai from Goa just before the lockdown was announced in the state. She believes the only thing left to do now is to ”just sit at home and get oneself vaccinated”. However, Pillai admit she herself wasn’t in the favour of getting the vaccine.

“Initially, I was of a different opinion regarding the vaccination. I didn’t really want to take it, but recently got my first dose. My main reason behind getting it is the safety of my mother, who is in her early 70s. I am the one who interacts with her the most, and I want to protect myself so I can protect her,” shares the 50-year-old.

But why was she hesitant to take the jab? “I don’t believe in taking things that are not researched for more than one year. I mean, everyone knows that nothing is foolproof if it is not researched for at least five to six years,” she reasons, revealing that she got a fever after taking the shot, but is doing fine now.

That said, the actor, who was last seen in the web series, Hello Mini, asserts that getting vaccine shot has become crucial to protect oneself and loved ones.

“It is our only hope to save ourself. That is the kind of scenario that everyone is in right now. And we don’t really have much of a choice. Soon, it will become compulsory when you have to travel. So, that is unavoidable,” expresses the actor, hopeful to restart work soon, and complete her projects, which got suspended because of the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

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