A large number of Bollywood stars have come to the aid of flood-battered Kerala by providing funds, food items, medicine and personal belongings such as clothes and even cooking for feeding the affected people.
Bollywood celebrity Amitabh Bachchan has sent in his clothes and shoes apart from Rs 51 lakh, while star couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma has provided food and medicines, and Randeep Hooda joined the Khalsa Aid team in the state to cook for people.
Amitabh donated Rs 51 lakh for Kerala relief, coordinated by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty for Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.
"Pookutty has said that Mr. Bachchan has not only donated Rs 51 lakh in cash but he has also sent six cartons of his personal clothing including around 80 jackets, 25 pants, 20 shirts and scarves. The actor has also donated around 40 shoes," said a source.
Kerala has been hit hard by the worst floods in a century that have left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.
Anushka and Virat have also contributed to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the flood victims. They also wanted to do their bit to support the animals in crisis.
"Anushka and Virat are sending a truck loaded with food and medicines and support systems for the animals in need," said a source in the know of the development.
"They have teamed up with a local animal rights NGO and are also helping to send rescue teams comprising eight members for rehab and treatment. Rescue teams will be looking at rescue of strays in Kerala and the protection of wildlife. They will look to provide support and care to the animals that are in need for urgent help," the source added.
In a heartwarming gesture, Randeep went out of his way to go to ground zero and do his bit.
Khalsa Aid posted a photograph of the actor cooking with them to feed the affected people.
"Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda joins the Khalsa Aid team in Kerala! It's great to see celebrities on the ground and not just simply commenting on social media," read an Instagram post by the organisation.
On his part, the actor said he felt blessed to be a part of the team of volunteers helping in the relief work. "Every little step counts," he added.
Actors and friends Prateik Babbar and Siddhanth Kapoor have also come together to raise funds and gather necessities for those afflicted by the floods. They will host a fundraiser on Thursday night for their industry friends along with restaurateur Suved Lohia here.
The venue will have multiple boxes with captions "donate from the heart" for monetary and non-monetary collections set up inside the venue. Stars like Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Arbaaz Khan, Rohit Roy, Sunny Leone, Aditya Roy Kapur, Akshay Oberoi, Eesha Gupta, Sikander Kher, Sohail Khan are expected to attend the event.
"I wanted to do more than just contributing financially since I believe the victims would need the essential necessities to rebuild their lives and not just financial aid. While we are accepting financial donations, our attempt is to bring together the entire industry on a single platform and show solidarity towards the unfortunate calamity by actually showing up at the event.
"In fact, we plan to visit Kerala and distribute what we have so collected so that we know our efforts are reaching those afflicted directly," Prateik said in a statement.
Siddhanth urged "one and all to join in and contribute in the need of crisis".
"Every bit counts and we have got together to do our bit," added the actor, who will be seen with Prateik in Ovais Khan's "Yaaram".
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who has contributed Rs 1 crore on behalf of a fan, has also informed people about the requirement of Doxycycline capsules which are being distributed in Kerala for tackling bacterial infections among the affected population.
"Immediate and important, here is how you could help in Kerala flood relief. Kerala medical department has estimated a requirement of 2,500,000 capsules of Doxycycline. My team is there," tweeted Sushant, who has sent a team of five volunteers from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, skilled electricians and carpenters, to Kerala.
--IANS
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