On-screen heroes are going all out to do their bit for the real-life heroes. From giving financial aid to the next of kin of martyred soldiers to bringing a smile on the faces of the jawaans on duty, Bollywood has Indian Armed Forces on its mind.
After extending financial help to the families of soldiers killed in action in his personal capacity, actor Akshay Kumar recently proposed an online platform to help people donate directly to the bereaved families.
“The best thing is people’s response... they feel so strongly about their country,” says Akshay, who recently met with the Union Home Secretary to take the idea forward.
Actor Kunal Kapoor, who co-founded crowd funding platform, Ketto, too, raised funds for families of the 19 soldiers killed in the terror attacks in Uri, J&K in September.
“Like everyone else in the country, we, at team Ketto, were deeply affected by the cowardly Uri attacks and wanted to do something for the families of our martyred soldiers. We started a campaign called #supportsoldiers. In the last few months, a lot of corporates and individuals have come forward from all across the world, and helped us raise Rs 44 lakh for the sustenance of these families. We will continue to keep this initiative active,” says Kapoor .
{{/usCountry}}“Like everyone else in the country, we, at team Ketto, were deeply affected by the cowardly Uri attacks and wanted to do something for the families of our martyred soldiers. We started a campaign called #supportsoldiers. In the last few months, a lot of corporates and individuals have come forward from all across the world, and helped us raise Rs 44 lakh for the sustenance of these families. We will continue to keep this initiative active,” says Kapoor .
{{/usCountry}}Then there are those who recently visited the armed forces personnel.
Actor Shah Rukh Khan celebrated Republic Day with soldiers in Delhi and danced with them to his hit songs, while promoting his film Raees that had just released.
The actor shared a video online and posted, “Celebrating the Republic Day with army jawaans full Punjabi style.”
Actors doing films that have a connect with the armed forces, are also on a spree to meet soldiers. While some see this as publicity gimmick, the actors call it a way to thank the soldiers after realising what they go through.
Actor Kangana Ranaut recently visited Border Security Force soldiers in Jammu and told them, “While working on the film, I came to know so much about the jawaans. It was my idea that we visit the BSF to promote the film. It’s been an experience of a lifetime... to be able to spend time with the real life heroes.”
Actors of the upcoming film Commando 2 —Vidyut Jammwal and Adah Sharma, along with producer Vipul Shah will travel to Varanasi to meet CRPF soldiers today.
Says producer Vipul Shah, “It is a morale booster for soldiers when you spend time with them and tell them that the work they do is loved and valued. The film is about a commando, and Vidyut’s father was in the army so it was only natural for us to do this. We will be doing the evening Ganga aarti with them. It’s going to be a nice experience.”
The makers of Ghazi Attack, which is a war film, are planning screenings of the film for naval officers. Rana Daggubati, who plays a Naval officer in the movie, has written a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee saying that stories of unsung war heroes should be acknowledged. “As a civilian I did not know about these victorious tales and like me there are many others who did not know much about it. To us, it’s a wa to acknowledge these heroes and make sure we know more about these unsung heroes and their tales of victory,” he said.
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