Bollywood bigwigs including Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Ayushmann Khurrana, and Sunil Shetty among others have stepped in to support India in the battle against COVID-19, donating money and collecting resources, and urging citizens to get themselves vaccinated as soon as possible.
Here is a list of those who have offered help:
Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna
Bollywood’s power couple, Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna donated 100 oxygen concentrators and urged everyone to do whatever they can to help fight COVID-19.
“Wonderful news – Dr Drashnika Patel and Dr Govind Bankani of London Elite Health through Daivik Foundation are donating 120 oxygen concentrators and as Akshay and I have managed to get our hands on 100 as well, we have a total of 220,” wrote Twinkle on social media. “Let’s all do our bit.”
Khanna also shared that she was in a ‘bit of a hole’ for some time as her family was facing health issues. Kumar recently recovered from COVID after getting treatment at a Mumbai hospital.
Previously, the couple had sent out monetary aid to various initiatives and contributed towards the welfare of policemen, hospital staff, frontline workers, and even daily wage workers of the film industry.
Meanwhile, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir revealed that Kumar also donated Rs 1 crore to his foundation for coronavirus relief including food, medication and oxygen.
Suniel Shetty
Shetty has also arranged oxygen cylinders to bridge the shortage in India. He has launched an initiative urging his fans to contribute to ‘Mission MillionAir’ in an effort to provide free oxygen to those who can’t afford adequate healthcare in India.
Ayushmann Khurrana
Khurrana and his wife Tahira Kashyap have donated to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Relief Fund to help aid people crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
In a note posted on social media, Khurrana thanked each and every person who has constantly inspired the couple to contribute more towards helping people ravaged by the health crisis.
“We have been in the eye of the storm since last year. This pandemic has broken our hearts, made us endure pain and suffering like never before, showed us how solidarity with one another can make us handle this humanitarian crisis,” read the couple’s statement.
“Today, again, this pandemic asks us to show fortitude, resilience and mutual support. People, across India, have stepped forward to do as much as possible for each other and Tahira and I thank each and every individual who has inspired us to do more,” it added.
Khurrana and Kashyap requested more Indians to step forward and help aid people in need.
Salman Khan
Khan restarted his food trucks to distribute food packets among the frontline workers in Mumbai.
Sonu Sood
Actor Sonu Sood is leading the charge, transporting sick patients, providing medication and encouraging people to get vaccinated as the coronavirus death toll crosses 200,000 in India. Sood, who also fought off the virus, took to his Instagram to urge more people to come forward and help those who are suffering due to COVID-19. He posted a screen recording of his phone that shows the actor has been getting messages from people asking for help continuously. He says he is trying to help as many people as possible. “The speed at which we get requests across the country. Trying my best to reach out to everyone. Everyone…Please come forward. We need more helping hands. Do your best to the best of your capabilities,” he wrote.
Kirron Kher
Kher, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, stated she had allocated Rs10 million from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) to purchase ventilators for COVID-19 patients by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh.
Meanwhile, others like Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif, Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Abhishek Bachchan, Kunal Kapoor, Mira Rajput and Bhumi Pednekar have been using social media to amplify the voices of those in need.
India passed 200,000 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, becoming the fourth country to do so, as it battles a devastating second wave of infections.
