Akshay stands beside cinema hall owner

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has been in the forefront, providing aid to several charities and relief funds during the coronavirus crisis. After donating Rs 25 crores to the PM CARES fund and Rs 3 crore to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Akshay has now offered help to the owner of Mumbai's Gaiety-Galaxy cinema.

According to a report by Mid-day, Akshay Kumar has offered aid to Manoj Desai, the owner of Gaiety Galaxy cinema, so he can pay his staff amid the coronavirus lockdown. The media outlet had earlier published a story that revealed that Desai had to take a loan from the bank to provide salaries to the theater staff. After reading about the same, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar reached out to him and offered financial assistance. "Three days ago, I got a call from Akshayji. He offered to provide financial assistance if the scenario continues. It was kind of him to offer help," he revealed.

In the interview, the owner of the cinema hall also opened up about the huge losses they have incurred amid the COVID-19 lockdown. He said, "We should find a way to sustain ourselves. We have managed to collect enough funds to pay the salaries for this month, but the theatre shutdown will have long-term ramifications. Our focus is to ensure we don’t trim staff or resort to pay cuts."

Recently, Akshay Kumar has pledged to contribute Rs 3 crore to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to assist the making of personal protection equipment, masks and rapid testing kits to help the battle against COVID-19.

Film critic and movie trade analyst Taran Adarsh announced on the same on Twitter on Friday and wrote, "After donating Rs25 crores to the PM CARES fund, Akshay Kumar contributes Rs3 crores to BMC to assist in the making of PPE, masks and rapid testing kits." The 'Good Newwz' actor has been informing people about the necessary precautions to be taken to stay safe amid the coronavirus outbreak through his social media handles. On Thursday, Akshay acknowledged the contribution of all essential workers during the lockdown period, and encouraged people to use the hashtag 'Dil Se Thank You' to express their gratitude to the people "who work to ensure our safety."

On the work front, the release of Akshay Kumar's much-anticipated cop drama, 'Sooryavanshi' has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Rohit Shetty directorial also features Katrina Kaif and is the fourth installment in his 'desi cop universe'.

Source: Agencies


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