'Idea should be to give back to the needy when you have enough': Farah Khan on helping people out amid lockdown

Filmmaker Farah Khan says that every morning that she wakes up, she doesn't only have her friends and family on her mind but also many other people who "are going through unimaginable situations" during the lockdown owing to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In a recent interview, the filmmaker said, "I have a simple mantra: I must do one good deed every day." Whether it is getting sanitary napkins for female police officers, arranging for masks, distributing water bottles for migrant labourers, or currently, as she is "initiating the process of sponsoring" Jyoti Kumari Paswan, the 15-year-old girl who cycled with her father from Gurugram to Bihar’s Darbhanga. 

Farah, whose 12-year-old daughter Anya has raised Rs three lakh through her sketches, said, "Not just me, there are so many people, who want to do good work but don’t know how to do it. But at the same time, I am so proud of my friends such as Sonu Sood, Vikas Khanna, and even Shah Rukh [Khan], who is doing amazing work through Meer Foundation." 

She further added that Anya, who is an animal lover, has done 150 sketches so far. The money has been used to buy groceries for people in slum pockets of areas such as Thane, Kalyan, and even Juhu Galli. Speaking about the same, she said, "I’ll continue to do whatever is within my capacity. I lived through a poor childhood. Probably, that’s why I’m empathetic towards people, especially poor. I’ve worked very hard – and also with God’s blessings – to reach where I’m today. So, the idea should be to give back to the needy when you have enough."