JOIN USNot joining politics: Sonu
Actor Sonu Sood, who hired a plane last week to fly stranded migrant workers from Kerala to Odisha, says celebrities can make a difference when common people are in extreme distress.
“You have to come forward in times of crisis. Things become more doable,” he told Metrolife over the phone from Mumbai.
He scotched rumours that he was joining politics. Social media is agog with speculation that he is out to join the BJP. “I have no intentions of joining any political party. I am busy and satisfied with my career as an actor,” he says.
Celebrities can help mobilise opinion, but anyone can help, he believes. “Every kitchen should make an extra meal for someone, it could be your watchman or your vegetable vendor. Then nobody in this country will sleep hungry,” he says.
The 47-year-old Sood, who acts in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Punjabi films, has hired several buses to send home workers from Mumbai to their respective states, including Karnataka. A report says he has helped about 1,000 workers return to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. A woman who got home with his help has named her just-born son Sonu Sood.
His family has been supportive. “They have been making a list of all people who need help. My parents have done such work in the past and it is ingrained in us as children. I remember my mother, Prof Saroj Sood, used to teach children for free,” he says.
Many Bollywood celebrities have come forward to help migrant labourers during the pandemic. While Swara Bhaskar distributed footwear, Salman Khan got a sanitiser manufactured under his label and distributed it among the Mumbai police. Others have been doing things quietly to feed the hungry and the homeless.
‘Sent home 20,000 migrants in buses, trains and a plane’
Sonu Sood was in the middle of his ]relief work in Mumbai when he answered some quick questions from Metrolife.
How many people have you helped get home?
We booked buses, trains and planes and have so far transported 20,000 people back to their homes. Initially, we started with our own financial resources, but Neeti Goel, a close friend, joined in and we started this initiative called ‘Ghar Bhejo.’ As soon as it took off, we had people calling us and offering to sponsor buses and provide financial help. It is a drive that has inspired so many to help the migrants. We gave rations and distributed food packets to migrants leaving by train.
How has your mother influenced your philanthropy?
My mother Prof Saroj Sood has always taught me to give back to society. When I was a young boy, she would say, “If you are not able to help someone, then you are not a successful person.”
Your connection with Bengaluru?
I travel to Bengaluru often. It is a city that I connect with because of its infectious vibe and warm people. I last worked in ‘Vishnuvardhana’ and played Arjuna in ‘Kurukshetra’. Both Kannada films did exceptionally well. Kannada is close to my heart.
In Bengaluru
Many in the Kannada film industry are doing their bit. Ragini Dwivedi, Apurva Kasaravalli and Harshika Poonacha have been distributing groceries, clothes and other essentials to migrant labourers and those in need.