Getting permit, travelling to a village: Tahir Raj Bhasin shares his vaccine experience in Manali

Actor Tahir Raj Bhasin was shooting for his next web project in Manali, when the second wave took over. And witnessing the situation, he decided to stay back for a longer period than intended.

“It was a lockdown all over, including Chandigarh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh. Leaving Manali would have meant taking cabs and multiple flights, so it wasn’t a good time. I took it as the Universe sending a sign that this is where I have to be,” he mues.

Bhasin, 34, who has a host of projects lined up next including Loop Lapeta and ’83, adds that he decided to stay in the hills for a few weeks at least.

“I’ve been shooting constantly since October last year. I first shot for Loop Lapeta in Mumbai and Goa, then came here for this series. I keep telling everyone that it’s a complete lockdown here as well... shops only open for a few hours, no public transport, only a different view and weather is a little better than cities,” he shares.

Amid all this, getting the first dose of vaccine in itself became a task for the actor, who had to go all the way to a village far from his place.

“When the slots for ages 18 and above started opening, I checked around, and the only one was available at a small village called Jagatsukh, which is an hour away from my home and I needed transportation to reach there. Given the lockdown it was difficult, we had to apply for an e-pass which taxis need,” says the Chhichhore (2019) actor.

Expressing his gratitude for managing to get the jab, he says, “We somehow made our way from here to there. It was a seamless process. They had converted a small primary school into a health centre. It was just beautiful and surreal, looking at the whole Kullu Manali valley while waiting for my vaccine shot.”