Neena Gupta & Other Colleagues Come Forward To Extend Financial Aid To Shagufta Ali

The lockdown in pandemic has turned many lives upside down, and it didn't spare the life of actors working day and night in the Indian film industry.?Popular actor Shagufta Ali, who has worked in the industry for 36 years, has come forward to share her heartbreaking story.

In a recent interview, she said that she has been under lockdown for the last four years, battling depleting finances due to poor health.?

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She also added that she has been struggling to find work in an industry to which she has dedicated over three decades of her life because of the ways the industry works.?

Shagufta Ali/Agencies

The actress who rose to fame with TV shows like Saans, Sasural Simar Ka, and Saath Nibhaana Saathiya, Shagufta Ali, was diagnosed with diabetes six years ago. This was also the time when the offers for work starting declining.?

The 54-year-old actor said she has been out of work since 2018. She initially tried to manage the situation independently by selling off her car and jewelry to pay mounting medical expenses.

Shagufta Ali

"It's a long treatment and an expensive one, for which I was facing financial troubles. So I finally opened up to friends in the industry, asking for help because I was unable to carry on without support," Shagufta told PTI."The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, but I have been going through a lockdown for the past four years," she added.?

Has Shagufta received any help after her plea??

Shagufta Ali

The actor said she had received aid from some of her colleagues from the industry, including Sarabhai Vs. Sarabhai star Sumeet Raghavan, Savdhaan India host Sushant Singh and Neena Gupta, her co-star and director of Saans.?

Talking about the aid she has been offered, she said,?

Shagufta Ali

"When they got to know I was going through financial woes, both Sumeet and Sushant, who call me 'Shagufta aapa,' came forward and helped me. Even the Cine And TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) reached out to me. They will be doing whatever best they can."

The actress is hopeful that she will overcome this turbulence phase of life and return to work soon. She added,?

"I can't fight my destiny, and I am just trying to cope with it. Sometimes life puts you in situations where you have to do things that you never thought you would. I had to go public to support myself, my mother. I am sure God will be kind to me, and so will be people," she added

Her last acting role was a cameo in the show Bepannaah.? ?

(With PTI inputs)