Published 14:32 IST, July 17th 2020
Sonu Sood contributes 25,000 face shields for Maharashtra cops; hails 'real heroes'
Bollywood actor-turned-philanthropist Sonu Sood has also been helping the stranded migrants reach their homes amid the coronavirus pandemic for four months now.
Sonu Sood has been at the forefront of India's battle with COVID from the start as he has helped thousands of stranded migrants return home over the past four months. The actor on Thursday donated 25000 face shields for the police personnel in Maharashtra and was lauded for his contribution on social media by the state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
The 46-year-old actor responded to Deshmukh with humility as he said that the police are our "real hero". Sood claimed that ensuring their safety by giving face shields is the least he could do for their relentless efforts.
Sonu has so far arranged buses and flights for the migrant labourers and turned out to be the real-life hero for them. His fan base is expanding day by day and people are in complete awe of the work he has been doing. he has been personally addressing grievances of people stranded in different parts of the country and assuring them with solutions.
He recently responded to a fervent plea from three persons of Bengal, after one of them tagged him on Twitter and said they were stuck in Pune. The 46-year-old actor assured Anupam Chakraborty, a resident of Howrah, he will make arrangements to send all three of them to Bengal. "Pack your bags brother. Kolkata is calling," he said in reply to Chakraborty's SOS tweet. The 36-year-old from Jhikira village in Howrah, who said that he and two others have been stuck in Pune since March, also attached a document with his tweet, giving details such as Aadhaar number, age and other relevant details.
However, despite his selfless service, he became a political target when Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut questioned his intentions. As per a PTI report, Sonu estimates that he has helped 18,000-20,000 workers to go back to their homes, which includes flights for the migrants of Assam, Odisha and Uttarakhand.
Talking to PTI about the controversy, he said, “I have nothing to do with politics. I am doing this purely out of my love for migrants. I want to help reunite them with their families".
Updated 14:32 IST, July 17th 2020