Bollywood fights back: How stars are helping out during India’s COVID-19 crisis

Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna have stepped up to fight the good fight as India grapples through a COVID-19 crisis. Khanna, who is a former Bollywood actress and a celebrated author, took to Twitter to share that she and her husband were donating 100 oxygen concentrators in an effort to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, Khanna also shared a link to a platform accepting donations to provide meals for families during this crisis. Earlier this week, Kumar donated Rs10 million to former cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir’s foundation to help victims of the coronavirus in any capacity.

The couple aren’t alone in stepping for Indians as the country grapples with a second wave of cases that has crippled its healthcare system and left thousands desperate for oxygen, medication and hospital beds. Actor Salman Khan’s Being Human Foundation has launched a food truck that is providing meals to frontline workers and the local police in Mumbai.

Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana and his wife Tahira Kashyap have come forward to contribute to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s Relief Fund to help aid people crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Khurrana shared a note on his Instagram account thanking every person who has inspired the couple to contribute more towards helping people ravaged by the health crisis. Khurrana and Kashyap also requested Indians to come forward to help aid people in need. “This is the time when we should come together as a community and care for each other. People need as much help as possible and we can all look to do our bit as we deem fit,” they said. Bhumi Pednekar, who herself battled COVID-19 this month, is calling herself a warrior and facilitating those who are sending out appeals on social media. The actress has been busy sharing hospital numbers, while retweeting tweets of those who are looking for hospital beds, oxygen or more.

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.

Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, along with a few colleagues of the film fraternity, have pitched in with help for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up an emergency medical unit at Shivaji Park in the city. The municipal body has converted Bharat Scouts and Guides Hall in the Park into a 20-bed COVID-19 facility, with ventilators, oxygen support and para monitors. Additionally, Devgn contributed funds for the effort through his social service wing NY Foundations. Others from the industry who are pitching in include filmmakers Luv Ranjan, Boney Kapoor, Anand Pandit, Rajneesh Khanuja, Leena Yadav and Ashim Bajaj and more.

Shraddha Kapoor has also stepped up by sharing an image of her brother Siddhanth on Instagram who is seen donating plasma. The actress urged others to do the same. “My bro @siddhanthkapoor just donated plasma. Urge all those who are eligible to do same please,” wrote Kapoor. Siddhanth had tested Covid positive in December. After the required time gap, he decided to donate his plasma to help others fight the disease.

Kangana Ranaut took a break from celebrating her 15 years in Bollywood to post a video message on Twitter requesting everyone to get vaccinated against the virus. Speaking in Hindi, she said: “The entire world is battling this pandemic and it has affected everyone, and I feel a lot of people are feeling disheartened. They feel negative and de-motivated. I would like to say that this is not the time for self-pity because people who are really battling this, don’t have the time to feel disheartened. For those who are over-thinking, let me tell you every generation somewhere has fought epidemics or pandemics, be it the Spanish flu, tuberculosis or plague. So, why do you think you are special?” The actress urged everyone to be the solution and not the problem. The 34-year-old actress asked everyone to be mindful about not contracting the virus. She added: “Many among my staff did not want to get vaccinated, but I made them understand and got them registered. On May 1, I will get vaccinated along with my family, staff and friends. Please register for the vaccine, please don’t feel hopeless.”

‘Drive’ star Jacqueline Fernandez used her social media reach to keep people’s spirits up while the COVID-19 crisis unfolds in India. The actress shared advice on breathing exercise tips as an effective way to deal with lockdown. “Breathwork (pranayams) are important especially now for our physical and mental well being praying for everyone during these difficult times,” she wrote.

Veteran actress and politician Kirron Kher stated she had allocated a Rs10 million from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for purchase of ventilators for COVID-19 patients by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh. The actress is currently battling multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, and is undergoing treatment.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas tweeted an appeal to the President of the United States (POTUS) and the US government to urgently share COVID-19 vaccines with India. “My heart breaks. India is suffering from COVID19 & the US has ordered 550M more vaccines than needed @POTUS @WHCOS @SecBlinken @JakeSullivan46 Thx for sharing AstraZeneca worldwide, but the situation in my country is critical. Will you urgently share vaccines w/ India? #vaxlive,” she posted.

‘Gully Boy’ star Siddhant Chaturvedi, who has been finding ways to keep fans entertained amid the grim COVID situation, crooned a song written and composed by him to cheer everyone up. In a video he shared on social media, he is seen strumming a guitar.

His ‘Gully Boy’ co-star Alia Bhatt, who also contracted the virus like Chaturvedi, is using her social media to amplify appeals by users who are in need of aid or assistance.

Katrina Kaif is also using her social media for the same, even as she shared lists of centres in cities where people could get vaccinated. The actress, along with her rumoured boyfriend Vicky Kaushal, had tested positive for the virus earlier this month.

Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty isarranging oxygen cylinders to bridge the shortage in India as many grapple with the second wave of COVID-19. 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. “This is a beautiful initiative. And it’s about giving back to my society ... Somewhere down the line, I feel I am blessed to be given this opportunity to help those in need. This is the need of the hour. We need to come forward in whatever little way we can,” said Shetty in a message to Gulf News.

Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh urged his fans to wear a mask and to do so in the right manner. Deshmukh took to his Instagram handle and shared a short clip in which he could be seen addressing the camera and requesting his fans to wear masks the right way.

The second wave of coronavirus has infected many people, and the number of COVID-19 positive cases has been rapidly rising. In Bollywood, an array of celebrities have got infected within a span of a few weeks. Recently, Arjun Rampal, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sonu Sood, Manish Malhotra, Katrina Kaif, Akshay Kumar, Govinda, Paresh Rawal, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, and Rohit Saraf, among others had tested positive for COVID-19. Earlier, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor, Malaika Arora, and some others were also infected with the virus. – With inputs from IANS