Renowned celebrities from all across the world have offered donations, and other medical facilities, to help fight against coronavirus. By Tanvi Jain
1. Kamal Hassan
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Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Hassan recently shared his plans to convert his home into a medical facility. Confirming the same on Twitter, Hassan also assured of complete medical assistance to be provided to the poor by the doctors of MNM. “In this time of crisis, I am trying to help the people, to bring the people in the justice system, the building that was my home, to temporarily help the people,” the actor tweeted.
He also shared videos appealing to practice social distancing. Earlier, he had even written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to take swift steps and aid the most vulnerable population.
2. Akshay Kumar
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Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar recently donated INR 25 crore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s relief fund PM CARES, urging others to donate in their capacity. “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,” the actor tweeted along with a link to the PM’s official twitter handle, mentioning details of how can one go further with the donation.
Lauding her husband’s gesture, writer, interior designer and former actress Twinkle Khanna, further tweeted, “The man makes me proud. When I asked him if he was sure as it was such a massive amount and we needed to liquidate funds, he just said, ‘ I had nothing when I started and now that I am in this position, how can I hold back from doing whatever I can for those who have nothing.”
3. Vicky Kaushal
The Bollywood heartthrob has donated INR 1 crore to PM- CARES fund. Sharing his statement on his official Twitter and Instagram handles, the actor tweeted, “I pledge to do my bit. We’re in this together and we’ll win this together. Till then, stay safe guys. #IndiaFightsCorona.”
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Two other famous actresses, ruling the hearts these days — Alia Bhatt and Sara Ali Khan — have also come forward to pledge their support to PM- CARES fund and Maharashtra CM’s relief fund. Both confirmed the same on their Twitter and Instagram handles.
4. Prabhas
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South star Prabhas also contributed in fight against COVID-19, by donating a total amount of INR 4 crore. Of the total amount, the Bahubali actor, donated INR 3 crore to Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, and INR 50 lakh each to the CM relief funds of both Andhra Pradesh as well as Telangana.
5. Rajinikanth
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South superstar made a donation of INR 50 lakh to the daily wage workers of South film industry. The said donation was made to Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI) Union.
6. Rihanna
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Clara Lionel Foundation, Rihanna’s non-profit organisation has donated USD 5 million in response to coronavirus. The donation is supported by Direct Relief, Partners in Health, Feeding America, International Rescue Committee and World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Rihanna’s organisation confirmed about the donation in a statement on its official website claralionelfoundation.org.
The statement also mentioned a list of things the funds will cover, such as local food banks serving at-risk communities and the elderly in the United States, acceleration of testing and care in countries like Haiti and Malawi, protective equipment for frontline health workers and diagnostic labs, healthcare worker training, virus prevention, and distribution of critical respiratory supplies.
7. Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively
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Hollywood Actor Ryan Reynolds recently posted on Twitter that the Hollywood couple has donated USD 1 million to FeedingAmerica.org and, FoodBanksCanada.ca, urging others to follow suit. The donation to be split between the two organisations will be used to help low-income families affected by COVID-19. Blake lively also confirmed the same on her Instagram handle.
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The couple also added a fun element to their respective posts. While Ryan added his friend and actor Hugh Jackman’s number, Blake told Ryan in her post that emotional distancing from his mother-in-law is not an option. Jackman also shared a video on his Twitter handle urging people to stay at home.
8. Angelina Jolie
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Another Hollywood actress that came forward to help in the fight against the deadly coronavirus is Angelina Jolie, who donated USD 1 million to No Kid Hungry, an organisation that helps communities feed children dependent on school lunches. Confirming the same on its official website, the organisation said, “New commitment from Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian Angelina Jolie will help anti-hunger campaign ensure kids can access free meals during school closures and every day. She has also donated USD 1 million to provide meals for children from low-income families”
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9. Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan
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Power couple Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) and Gauri Khan have offered their four-storey personal office space to Brihanmumbai Corporation (BMC) to expand their quarantine capacity equipped for children, elderly, and women. Apart from that, the superstar has even has taken the help of his companies – Kolkata Knight Riders, Red Chillies Entertainment, Meer Foundation and Red Chillies VFX – to provide support to the governments. SRK along with his wife, Gauri and business partner Juhi Chawla will also contributing to the PM-CARES Fund through their IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Moreover, the KKR franchise and his NGO Meer Foundation will work with the Maharashtra and West Bengal governments for the supply of 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals – the ‘real heroes’ of the battle against the pandemic, according to SRK. Meer Foundation has also tied up with Ek Saath – The Earth to provide daily food requirements to over 5500 families for at least a month in Mumbai. A kitchen will also be set up to send 2000 freshly cooked meals to help households and hospitals whose daily needs are not being fulfilled. His NGO, in association with the Roti Foundation, will be providing three lakh meal kits to 10,000 underprivileged people and daily wage workers in Mumbai for a month. A similar contribution will be taking place in Delhi where Meer Foundation has joined hands with the Working People’s Charter to provide basic essentials and grocery items to over 2500 daily wage workers in the city for a month. Additionally, the foundation will also be providing support to 100 acid attack victims in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttarakhand. The couple will also making a donation to the Maharashtra CM’s Relief Fund under their film banner Red Chillies Entertainment.
Many celebrities from the film fraternity of both India as well as international, have come forward to contribute in fight against the deadly coronavirus. Some more famous personalities that made it to the list of contributors include Justin Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Lady Gaga, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shawn Mendes, Taylor Swift, Hrithik Roshan, Hema Malini, Bhumi Pednekar, Rajkumar Rao, Kapil Sharma, etc.
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Furthermore, even the sportsperson weren’t left behind, as personalities like Roger Federer, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, PV Sindhu, Suresh Raina, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, etc, made contributions. Leaders from the fashion world such Donatella Versace and daughter Allegra Versace Beck, Giorgio Armani, and Sabyasachi Mukherjee, also contributed their fair share for the same.
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