Sonu Sood Turns 52: The Star Who Saved Lives During the Pandemic
Nation’s Messiah, Sonu Sood of Bollywood now steps into his 52nd year; on this occasion, the country celebrates not just a star but a saviour. When COVID-19 tossed the entire nation upside down, Sood turned script-less into a service for millions. His golden heart outstripped his heroics on the silver screen, ranging from co-ordinating buses for stranded migrants to airlifting life-threatening patients. Let’s rewind and appreciate the real life hero’s deeds!
Associated with the snarling characters of Dabangg and Jodhaa Akbar, Sonu Sood flipped the script during the total lockdown of 2020. While the rest of the country struggled with a 21-day close-down, Sood, the one-time raging villain, created a logistical miracle by arranging buses, trains, and even flights for the return of thousands of stranded migrant workers.
His team arranged with huge efforts providing food to tens of thousands, shelter for many, and oxygen cylinders for hospitals. His cell shone with messages from a potential 19,000 people begging for assistance through social media, which he whirred into action, thus earning the title “Messiah” from a thankful nation.
In the shadow of the second wave, Sood stepped up to new heights: speaking for a life-saving intervention, he airlifted very sick COVID patients such as Hitesh Sharma from Delhi to Hyderabad. His foundation imported oxygen plants from France and supplied them to hospitals in Delhi and Maharashtra.
On top of other initiatives, such as Ilaaj India, where one provides health treatment free of charge, Sood also built what is called the Pravasi Rojgar application that connected unemployed immigrants with work. Not even some members of Parliament were exempted from approaching him, with a story of one asking for assistance for her children stuck abroad. Such is the level of reach Sood had, close to that at least, of the divine.
His ‘hero-in-action’ did not go unrecognized. The United Nations acknowledged Sood through SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award, while fans went so high as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to salute him. From tractors to farmers to scholarships for students, the Sood Charity Foundation has transformed lives. Although Sood was personally affected by COVID in 2021 and could not save some patients, his resolve never wavered.
Today, as he grooms himself for his next film, Kisaan, real-life superheroism keeps basking at his shining best in the midst of Sood’s toughest heroes.
Also Read: Happy Fifty Fifth Birthday Christopher Nolan! Why He Calls Bollywood ‘Fundamental’ to Cinema
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