Cyclone Ockhi creates panic in Mumbai, actors share how they have been affected

Jasmin Bhasin

Gurpreet Singh: It has disturbed our daily routine and shooting schedule as well. We are not shooting today and are not going out for a while.

Sshrey Pareek: It is scary, not for me but for everyone. If by any chance it comes, it'll harm everybody, the entire country as it had a devastating impact on Kerala before. Now Mumbai has been put on alert and of course, everyone will be little aware today. Most of the Mumbaikars are not going to work including me. I am avoiding my meeting today. Why take a risk, when you can avoid it. All I can suggest is that it is important to protect our environment, plants, trees, as much as you can, not to throw trash, don't pollute the environment, use handmade stuff.

Romit Raj: I am glad that the Government of Maharashtra has warned all citizens about Ockhi, we have prepared ourselves. Schools are shut which is very good for kids, we have stock of vegetables bread and milk. We have also given domestic staff holidays today and tomorrow so that they can stay safe in their houses. Honestly, we have to take care of Mother Earth, we have to keep the environment clean, plant more trees. We need to see there is no industrial waste polluting our rivers and natural habitat. We need to follow strict guidelines globally as we all our human beings first.

Ssharad Malhotraa: Global warming is happening really fast and it's time we respect mother nature and our planet Earth and stop abusing it as we've been doing for years now. I fear it's just the beginning and worse could be in store for us in the form of natural calamities. Such tropical cyclone such as Ockhi should not be ignored and we should take safety measures to prevent any kind of human or material damage. For the first time in my life, I experienced heavy rains in the month of December.

Karan Wahi: Climate change is a phenomenon that we are witnessing everywhere in the world. Cyclones and other calamities have come into the limelight a lot of late. Thankfully it hasn't troubled me way too much. I have been shooting nowadays so I am used to the traffic. The rain actually might just help drop the temperature. Hopefully!!

Jasmin Bhasin: I am really very scared because when the time was right, none of us did anything and now we are panicking. I am really scared but it's never too late, we can stop ruining our environment or else everything will get over.

Hrishikesh Pandey: I am shooting outdoor and I am close to Surat. The weather is different, it's been raining since yesterday. At the same time, we are enjoying the moment because it's pleasant but somewhere this is going to affect us. A lot of people are falling sick because of the sudden changes and that's really harmful. Somewhere down the line, we should take care of our environment, we should not allow anyone to cut the trees and we should also make sure that we won't waste the water.

Ankit Bathla: I think it's like house arrest because it's raining cats and dogs. We should focus more and more on. maintaining the environment. Let's start with a kitchen garden, make a compost of your kitchen waste and plant more trees and plants

Sachin Parikh: It is a very dangerous sign for the global environment. It shows how global warming is affecting the overall atmosphere and environmental conditions. The entire schedule is gone for a toss for me and I'm sure for many. I was supposed to shoot for 3 days here in Mumbai and then I had to leave for Ujjain for my film shoot. Now because of the rain, my producer had to postpone the entire outdoor shoot in Mumbai. This was so unexpected and sudden.

Samiksha Bhatnagar: I'm currently shooting in Lucknow but my family in Mumbai woke up to more rain this morning. Cyclone Ockhi passes by the coast of Maharashtra today before hitting land at around midnight as a deep depression near Surat in Gujarat. Apart from the rain in Mumbai and several other parts of the state, there are reports of a hailstorm in some parts of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The disaster management unit of Mumbai has also advised people against visiting beaches in view of high tide alert issued till tomorrow morning. Thankfully Maharashtra govt has declared holiday today. Tropical cyclones are like giant engines that use warm, moist air as fuel. That is why they form only over warm ocean waters. While Cyclone Ockhi was said to be weakening, another tropical storm was brewing in the Bay of Bengal on the east coastline. I advise people to stay at a safe place, Walk only where floodwaters aren't moving. Use a stick to check the depth of the water and firmness of the ground in front of you. As per, India Meteorological Department NDMA.

Aniruddh Dave: I was shooting in Filmcity and felt this dramatic change in the climate. The entire schedule got disturbed. Eventually, our director Krishna Bhatt called off the shoot. My parents are in the town and we had to go to Gujarat for a day but we have had to postpone the trip.

Shraddha Musale: I am shooting in Umbergaon and because of the climate changes, the weather has become so beautiful. It's raining here and the weather is cold. I heard that in Bombay there are huge traffic jams on highways, express highways and people are suffering. I don't want it to deteriorate.

Tinaa Dattaa: All these weather changes are because of global warning. We need to become aware of the things that we can do to protect our environment. This is not someone that can be taken lightly, not anymore. I urge people to stay indoors and not venture out at this time.