‘BEING A CELEB IS SECONDARY NOW, I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE AS A HUMAN’

Randeep Hooda says he felt ‘helpless’ seeing the plight of people amid Covid-19

Randeep Hooda is strongly against using the term ‘celebrity’ when it comes to talking about helping people during a crisis. “Everybody is human, trying to do what they can,” the actor reasons, adding, “I always believe that speaking about it isn’t enough; you have to put yourself in an actual helping position.”

Seeing so much suffering and anxiety around, Hooda, 44, admits he felt “helpless”, and that’s when he decided to team up with an NGO to provide oxygen concentrators to those in need, apart from using social media to amplify SOS requests.

“With Khalsa Aid, we’re travelling across the country, helping people in these difficult times. I do it because as a human being, I feel helpless and want to contribute towards easing other people’s pain. There are hundreds like me who’ve gone all out and done it,” he says, asserting that being a celebrity is a “secondary thing” in such a situation.

Though the second wave of the pandemic is gradually subsiding, Hooda recalls how the country went through a situation when “oxygen became more important than food”.

For times like these, he asserts, “Every small step counts. We shall overcome this. There’s help around everywhere, so many people have come out for the sake of humanity. It’s heartening to see that, but also depressing to see the state of people under so much stress.”

With work being stalled for months due to pandemic-induced restrictions, daily wagers have been worst hit in the entertainment industry. However, Hooda insists health and life are the most important virtues now. “Second is obviously how you keep eating healthy and taking care of your family’s needs when work stops. It has been a terrible situation, so one should do as much as they can for people around them,” says the actor, who was recently seen in

When you say celeb, you are actually categorising us in a different way.

RANDEEP HOODA, Actor