A few fans of Sonu Sood have decided to honour him by putting up a large hoarding of him at a busy crossroad in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. However, the actor thinks their blessings would have been enough.
In a video shared on Twitter, a few men could be seen decorating the area around the hoarding with flowers and making designs on road with chalk. “Corona fighter king Sonu Sood,” the hoarding read. Apart from the actor, Odia actor Sabyasachi Mishra was also named corona fighter king and actor Rani Panda was named corona fighter queen. “Sabya, rani panda and Sonu were worshipped in the capital,” read the tweet.
Sonu reacted to the post and wrote, “This is so sweet.. but I don’t deserve this just your love and wishes keep us alive.” Sonu recently came to the rescue of 167 migrants stuck in Kerala by arranging a special chartered flight to help them reach their home in Odisha.
The group, comprising on 147 women and 20 men, were airlifted by an Air Asia chartered flight from Kochi to the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar. “When I decided to come forward in support of these migrant workers who have been stranded, all that I had in my mind was how I can help reunite them with their families and homes,” Sonu had said in a statement.
Rajya Sabha MP Amar Patnaik took to Twitter to thank Sood for his “noble efforts”. “@SonuSood Ji, your helping the Odia girls to return safely from Kerala is commendable. Kudos to your noble efforts. It’s incredible to see how you are helping the needy reach their homes safely. More strength to you,” Patnaik wrote on Twitter.
Amid the nationwide lockdown, the Odia women, most of whom were engaged in stitching and embroidery work in the textile sector in Kerala, had been trying to return for last several weeks and finally their plight was posted by someone on Twitter, which led to Sood’s help. Initially, it was proposed to bring back the young women by bus or train but Sood offered to send them in a special plane, said an airline official.
“We are extremely thankful to Sonu Sood for making arrangements for our return to Odisha. We will be able to meet our family members after so many months,” said one of the migrants. As all the returnees hailed from Kendrapara, the state government had made adequate arrangements for their journey to the coastal district.
