Mumbai, Jul 8 (IANS): Actor Ali Fazal has donated money saved from his parked cars to his support staff, and is urging people to pay their house help and drivers.

"It was high time someone pitched in for the cause. I saw this heartbreaking video in which a house help who hasn't been paid since April was recounting how she struggled to make ends meet. It's a reminder that Covid is not brought in by them but by the rich who travelled and came in contact with the virus," Ali said.

"What has happened is unfortunate and untoward but why should they suffer. Not only do they have no income coming in, it's evidently uncertain when they will get back to work. Due to the lockdown, the expenses have also gone down because people are no longer driving their cars around. We urge people to redirect the money they save on their vehicles to pay their help, drivers, and staff. We need to be there for each other at such times," added the actor.

Amid the pandemic, Ali realised that his boarding school experience prepared him to cope with lockdown in a better way. Ali has been at his Bandra home alone since early March, and has been managing well without any house help.

"I am an accidental cook. But being outside home and living in boarding school has made me realise that I can manage well on my own," Ali said previously.

"I remember in my early teens when I first went to Doon, I struggled for a few weeks. But over time, it was enjoyable. Being independent has its own advantages. It is liberating but it comes with immense responsibility too," he added.