The COVID-19 ad which was shot by Akshay Kumar amidst lockdown, has finally been released. The PSA comprises of a one-and-a-half minute advertisement and was shared by the Press Information Bureau on Twitter.
Alongside the advertisement, the caption reads, “Our battle with #COVID19 is not over, but we will not be afraid of the virus. We will take all precautions and we are going to move on with our lives (sic).”
Our battle with #COVID19 is not over, but we will not be afraid of the virus. We will take all precautions and we are going to move on with our lives
@akshaykumar @MoHFW_INDIA #IndiaFightsCorona #BreakTheStigma pic.twitter.com/EKxcwwhVb3
— PIB India (@PIB_India) June 2, 2020
In the advertisement, one can see Akshay in a village setting coming across a neighbour who asks him why he has ventured outdoors as soon as the lockdown was lifted.
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll catch the virus?” the neighbour asks. “Initially I was afraid, but then I learned that if one takes precautions, catching the virus is unlikely,” Akshay responds.
The actor then lists the precautions he is taking, which include wearing a mask, washing hands, and maintaining social distance.
“If the health service workers are sacrificing so much to save our lives, the least we can do is to make it easier for them,” Akshay continues. The actor also seems to suggest that there is nothing to worry about if one does contract the illness, as the government has enough hospitals ready to treat patients.
“This is no time to worry, it is the time to support each other,” the actor continues.
Akshay’s words encourage the neighbour to also go to work. The neighbour says that it would be the dishonourable thing to not go to work.
Akshay ends the advertisement by saying that the country needs to be made ‘atmanirbhar’ or self-reliant.