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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Washington (PTI): Describing the economic policies of Vice President Kamala Harris as a disaster, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday said he would launch a brand new economic miracle after he wins the elections.
Trump promised to build American, buy American, and hire American.
"We will end Kamala's economic disaster and launch a brand-new Trump economic miracle," Trump said at a campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, a battleground State where he is slated to hold his last rally on Monday night.
He said Harris' failed economic agenda wiped out nearly 30,000 private sector jobs just recently, and nearly 50,000 manufacturing jobs just over the last short period of time. "You lost 50,000 manufacturing jobs."
Trump alleged that under Harris' "nation-wrecking policies, the American worker is absolutely drowning. ‘You're drowning".
"Kamala is a radical left Marxist, rated even worse than crazy Bernie Sanders and Pocahontas herself. She destroyed our economy. She was an original creator of the Defund the Police movement. Anybody who wants to defund the police for even one week is not worthy of being President of the United States," Trump said.
"Kamala vowed to abolish ICE. She pledged to confiscate your guns... she even called for free sex changes for illegal aliens in detention. All at taxpayer expense. But perhaps most significant of all, she lied about working at McDonald's. She never worked," he said.
"With your vote, this November, we are going to fire Kamala and we are going to save America. We will cut your taxes, end inflation, slash your prices, raise your wages. and bring thousands and thousands of factories back to America and back to Detroit, Michigan," he said.
He promised, "I will end the war in Ukraine. Would have never started if I was president. I will stop the chaos in the Middle East. Would have never happened October 7th. And I will prevent World War III from happening," he said.
The former president said his administration will crush violent crime and give police the support, protection, resources, and respect that they so dearly deserve.
"We will strengthen and modernise our military. We will build a missile defense shield, the biggest in the world, all over our country, made in the USA, much of it made in Michigan. We will rebuild our cities, including our capital in Washington, D.C., making them safe, clean, and beautiful again. Again, our cities are a mess. They're a mess, a crime-ridden mess," he said.
"We will teach our children to love our country, to honour our history, and to always respect our great American flag. I'm going to put a bill in. If you burn the American flag, you get one year in jail. It is just happened a few weeks ago in Washington. They're burning American flags all over the place. We will get critical race theory and transgender insanity out of our schools. We ill keep men out of women's sports," he said
He said he will defend religious liberty and restore free speech.
"And I will defend the right to keep and bear arms... our Second Amendment, which is under siege. After years of building up foreign nations, defending foreign borders, and protecting foreign lands, we are finally going to build up our country, defend our borders, and protect our citizens and our lands," he said.
"We ill stop illegal immigration once and for all. We will not be invaded. We will not be occupied. We will not be overrun. We will not be conquered. We will be a free, proud nation once again. We're going to be free and proud. Everyone will prosper. Every family will thrive. And every day will be filled with opportunity and hope. And most importantly, it's going to be filled again with the American Dream," Trump said.