Rahul Dev called 'COVIDIOT' for removing mask after getting vaccinated, reveals why he did it!

New Delhi: Actor and Bigg Boss 10 contestant Rahul Dev recently opened up about his experience of getting trolled on social media over removing his mask to pose with doctors to a leading daily.

According to his interview, after he was inoculated with the first shot of the COVID vaccine, the doctors requested him to remove his mask and pose with them for a picture. He claims that he agreed to their request without much thought and ended up receiving heavy criticism on social media for the same.

He told Hindustan Times, “When I got the first shot, the doctors had requested me to take my mask off for a picture. It was a quick and emotional decision without rationality. I just thought that they’re vaccinating me and what should I have said that, ‘No, I’ll not take off my mask.’ I got a lot of flak on social media for it. Some even called me a Covidiot.”

The 'Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev' actor expressed that he often receives messages asking him for help in procuring hospital beds and oxygen. However, he isn't always able to help.

He reveals, “I keep on getting messages. Every 10 minutes I get call for help or a message on social media. Sometimes you can help, sometimes you cannot. If you cannot help, then that’s not okay, but what can you do? I recently requested for a bed in Delhi for someone who was looking, and I was told, ‘Room toh nahi chahiye na’. People are saying that celebs are getting special treatment, but it’s not like that. Even we’re struggling to get hospital beds for people in need.”

Dev also spoke to HT about the toll the COVID-19 crisis is taking on healthcare professionals and how they aren't getting compensated enough for their herculean efforts.

He said, “The last few weeks, all we’re seeing is that so many doctors have broken down. I’ve seen confessional videos of doctors saying, ‘We don’t have oxygen and patients ko jhooth bolke thak gaye hai’”

“The pay scale of doctors is something that I want to talk about. I hope they can get paid much better. The hospitals aren’t running into losses, they’re making money, isn’t it? I’d like to see them getting more money for the service that they’ve been providing in the past year, especially when your organisation is doing better,” he continued.

Actor Rahul Dev made his Bollywood debut two decades ago with the action film 'Champion'. He has also featured in south Indian films such as 'Narasimha' and 'Parasuram'.

Later, he made his television debut with the mythological TV series 'Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev' and took part in the controversial reality TV show Bigg Boss 10.