Getting offers for hero roles now, says Sonu Sood
Mumbai, Dec 19: Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has said filmmakers have started to approach him with lead roles in their films due to his philanthropic work for migrant workers during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
Earlier this year, Sood, known for films like "Dabangg", "Jodhaa Akbar", and "Simmba", catapulted to the national spotlight for his work in helping migrants reach their homes during the lockdown.
During a virtual session of "We The Women" on Friday, Sood opened up about how 2020 has changed his personal and professional life, especially his image of an actor, who has previously played villain in films such as "Simmba", "R Rajkumar" and "Arundhati".
"I am getting all hero roles now. I have got four-five brilliant scripts. Let's hope... It's new beginnings, new innings, it is a new pitch and it will be nice fun," the actor said.
He recalled that during the shooting of his upcoming Telugu movie "Acharya", South superstar Chiranjeevi expressed reservations about hitting him for a scene, given his new found image of a hero.
"We were doing an action sequence and Chiranjeevi sir said, You being in the film is a big problem for us because I can't hit you in the action scene'. He said if he does that people will curse him.
"There was another sequence where he was placing his feet on me but that too was reshot," Sood said.
The 47-year-old actor also revealed that the makers of another Telugu film have changed the script according to his new image, meaning that he will have to shoot his portions again.
During the lockdown, Sood had launched an initiative to help reunite migrant workers who were stranded in Mumbai with their families in distant corners of the country.
He and his team rolled out a toll-free number and a WhatsApp helpline to connect with the workers and then arrange transportation - buses, trains and even chartered flights as well as food for the stranded migrants.
Sood believes that there was some force working behind him and guiding him during the lockdown period.
"Blessings of my parents worked and I was able to connect with thousands of people. There was some kind of inner voice that made me do what I did. I didn't know how I would do it but once we started, everything just happened, he said.
Joining the actor in the session, titled "The Men We Love", was Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna, who has also been working round-the-clock to help the needy since the pandemic hit India.
Khanna, sitting thousands of miles away in New York, launched a food distribution drive Feed India' that steadily reached millions across the country.
"Catering companies were shutting down and so were restaurants, even I was supposed to open two restaurants this year.
"It was all affecting me. I wanted to do something we started in a small way. We put everything on the backburner and focused on this," Khanna said.
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Congress Corporator's daughter stabbed to death inside college campus in Hubballi
Hubballi (Karnataka), Apr 18: The daughter of a Congress Corporator was stabbed to death by her acquaintance inside BVB college campus here on Thursday after she allegedly rejected his proposal, police said.
The deceased Neha (23), the daughter of Niranjan Hiremath, was a first-year MCA student, they said.
The accused 23-year-old Fayaz, an MCA dropout, has been arrested in connection with the incident, police said, adding that both of them were batchmates during their BCA course.
The entire incident was caught on CCTV camera.
According to the police, Fayaz went inside the college campus with a knife and stabbed Neha five-six times. During the attack, he too sustained injuries and was shifted to the hospital along with the victim. At the hospital, Neha was declared brought dead.
ALSO READ: Double murder in B'luru park: Mother of woman stabbed to death kills daughter's murderer
"During interrogation, he (Fayaz) claimed that the two of them had been in a relationship and that she had suddenly started avoiding him. It needs to be corroborated and verified, but he was arrested immediately," a senior police officer said.
A case of murder has been registered, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
Narrating about the incident, Neha's father Hiremath said that his daughter had classes from 8 am. At around 4.30 pm, when she stepped out after completing her classes, this person approached towards her and stabbed her nearly six times inside the college campus and she died on the spot.
"He (the accused) was an old student and he had proposed my daughter but she rejected his proposal. She did not like him and she usually stayed away from all this...She refused him saying they both belonged to different caste and that she did not wish to have any relationship with him. Out of anger, he stabbed my daughter," he told PTI videos.
Demanding justice for her daughter, he said that the accused should he hanged to death only then will his daughter's soul rest in peace.
Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident and offered condolences to the family of the deceased.
"An accused has already been arrested in connection with the incident and I have instructed the Director General of Police to conduct a strict investigation and take action to ensure maximum punishment for the accused," he said in a post on 'X'.
He also appealed to people to not take law into their hands.
"In connection with the incident, no one should get agitated and take law into their hands or attempt to disturb peace of the society. It is our duty to get justice for the death of the young woman, in this regard the police department will work hard," he added.
