Yesterday, superstar Akshay Kumar surprised one and all with his post over Richa Chadha’s tweet. The Fukrey actress made a comment, which was found objectionable and in bad taste by several netizens. Akshay was the only actor from the industry who called out Richa for her ‘Galwan says hi’ comment. Akshay wrote, ‘Hurts to see this. Nothing ever should make us ungrateful towards our armed forces. Woh hain toh aaj hum hain. ’. As expected, the tweet went viral and got a record number of likes and RTs, but more importantly, Akshay got a lot of appreciation and good wishes for taking a stand.
And this is hardly surprising, especially for those who know Akshay Kumar and how much he has always been in awe of the army. At every given opportunity, he has talked highly of the armed forces. And he has not limited himself to just speaking about them. He has also used his stardom to help them out.
In 2017, he conceptualized the idea of the ‘Bharat Ke Veer’ initiative. It is a platform through which one can donate to the families of martyrs. Some months after he went public with his idea, the app was launched. A few months later, Akshay made an emotional appeal in front of corporate honchos at a high-profile event about ‘Bharat Ke Veer’. These honchos were so touched by his speech that they collectively donated Rs. 6.50 crores. This shows he understands the power of his stardom and the right way to use it for good causes.
Akshay Kumar’s philanthropy extends beyond the armed forces as well. During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Akshay Kumar donated a whopping Rs. 25 crores to the PM Cares Fund. He has also donated to the farmers during difficult times and also to junior artists during the pandemic. He has helped build homes for transgenders, helped an acid attack victim, trained women in self-defense, etc. And this is just the tip of the iceberg!
Sadly, Akshay Kumar often gets ridiculed, despite doing so much for the countrymen. And the biggest criticism that he faces is over his Canadian citizenship. Thankfully, only a tiny section of netizens criticizes him over this aspect. After all, most Indians have realized that it’s not important to be an Indian just by birth or by its citizenship. The one whose heart beats for India is a true Indian. And Akshay fits this idea perfectly as he is the ideal patriot and a role model that Indians can follow. Thank you Akshay Kumar for being you!
