Indian film personalities, particularly actors from Bollywood and South Indian film industries have come forward to support the COVID-19 relief work. A few of them have opted to donate in kind (masks and medical equipment), while others have volunteered to donate cash. Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan took the lead by tweeting that he had procured N95 and FFP3 masks for the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) workers and other caretakers. The actor also thanked Aaditya Thackeray, son of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, for giving him an opportunity to help curb the spread of the pandemic.
Superstar Rajinikanth donated Rs 50 lakh to the daily wage workers of the South film industry. This amount was donated to the Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) Union. Telugu actor Pawan Kalyan, who is also a member of the Jana Sena Party announced a donation of Rs 1 crore to PM Relief Fund. The actor revealed this on his Twitter account. He tweeted, "I will be donating Rs 1 crore to the PM relief fund to support our Hon PM Sri @narendramodi ji, in turbulent times like this. His exemplary and inspiring leadership would truly bring our country from this Corona pandemic." In addition to this, the actor also said, "I will be donating Rs 50 Lakhs each to both AP and Telangana CM relief funds to fight against Corona pandemic."
Inspired by Pawan Kalyan, Telugu star Ram Charan too has agreed to contribute Rs 70 lakh towards the Centre and States (AP and Telangana) relief fund. He tweeted, "Hope this tweet finds you in good health. At this hour of crisis, inspired by @PawanKalyan garu, I want to do my bit by contributing to aid the laudable efforts of our governments... Hope you all are staying safe at home! @TelanganaCMO @AndhraPradeshCM @PMOIndia @KTRTRS (sic)."
From among the Southern stars, the biggest contribution came from the Baahubali superstar, Prabhas. As per reports, the star has donated a whopping Rs 4 crore towards Covid-19 relief. The Saaho star pledged Rs 3 crore to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Rs 50 lakh each to Chief Minister's relief fund of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
However, the biggest contributer is 'Khiladi' Akshay Kumar. The actor announced on Twitter that he has pledged Rs 25 crores towards PM-CARES Fund. He tweeted, "This is that time when all that matters is the lives of our people. And we need to do anything and everything it takes. I pledge to contribute Rs 25 crores from my savings to @narendramodi ji’s PM-CARES Fund. Let’s save lives, Jaan hai toh jahaan hai."
In addition to these filmstars, MPs and actors Hema Malini and Sunny Deol have contributed from Rs 1 crore and Rs 50 lakh from the MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme) funds for COVID-19 work.