The Coronavirus pandemic has called for the lockdown of the entire country resulting in the halt of all activities including film, television, and web production, promotional campaigns, post-production and any initiative that involves a group of people gathering.
While the film fraternity has been contributing to the state and central government funds and providing essentials to daily wage cine workers, the paparazzi that give fans and audiences a peep into the lives of celebrities on a daily basis have been left unattended.
Super 30 actor Hrithik Roshan is the first Bollywood star to help these photographers out by providing them with money.
Viral Bhayani, a popular Mumbai-based paparazzi photographer, told Silverscreen India that the entire fraternity is extremely happy with the gesture and is thankful for the actor’s generosity. “We did not put out any statement or letter requesting support from the industry or anybody for that matter. I think news spread through casual word of mouth and it was a decision taken by the actor himself. One day, I received a call from his office asking me to send in the bank account and pan card details of all my staff and photographers and I did so immediately. He instantly transferred a sufficient amount to all the staff. We aren’t able to express how thankful we are for this,” said Viral.
He added, “Even if the lockdown is lifted, it’s going to take a while for the industry to return to normalcy. This is going to affect our work severely leaving us in a financial crunch. A lot of other organisations are planning to cut down on the number of staff or their pay, but I have no such intentions with my team. In this crucial situation, this contribution of his is certainly wonderful. I’m sure many other celebrities will be willing to contribute if we approach them, but I hope the situation gets better soon and we’re able to stand on our own feet in no time.”
Several people who are the followers of Viral on Instagram have also contacted him asking if he requires money to pay his staff. “All of them have seen how hard we’ve been working all these years. My followers on Instagram said they were willing to support and provide whatever they can if required. Though I’m not in dire need right now, I was delighted that they offered to help,” said Viral.
Following this, director-producer Rohit Shetty has also contributed money to the paparazzi. The organisation thanked him for the support extended, on Instagram.
Hrithik had earlier arranged for N95 and FFP3 masks for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) workers and caretakers and helped provide 1.2 lakh nutritious cooked meals to old age homes, daily wagers and low-income groups across India.
We are happy to share, our Foundation is now empowered by Superstar @iHrithik. Together, we will facilitate 1.2 lakh nutritious cooked meals to old age homes, daily wage labourers & low income groups across India, until normalcy in work routine.
— Akshaya Patra Official (@AkshayaPatra) April 7, 2020
