Akshay Kumar pledges Rs 25 crore to 'PM Cares' fund to fight coronavirus, Twinkle Khanna lauds kind gesture

Amid the coronavirus lockdown in India and the whole world coming to a standstill, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has pledged to contribute Rs 25 crores to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coronavirus relief fund called PM Cares. The actor took to social media to share the news and wrote, "All that matters is the lives of our people".

 March 28, 2020

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Akshay said, "You can call it my weakness or whatever, but I am never able to express my feelings or thoughts behind gestures of contributing to a cause."

When asked why he is always the first one to stand up for such causes and lead by example, Akshay said, "Main kaun hota hoon ‘charity’ yah ‘donate’ karne waala? (who am I to donate or make any charity?)”. Doosri baat ki hum apni country ko Bharat Maa kehte hain. Mera yeh contribution actually mera nahi hai. Yeh meri maa ki taraf se Bharat Maa ko hai. (We address our country as Bharat Maa. So this contribution is not from me. It is from my mother to my motherland, Bharat Maa.)"

Soon after the actor pledged to contribute, PM Modi replied to his tweet and wrote, "Great gesture @AkshayKumar. Let’s keep donating for a healthier India."

March 28, 2020

Not just that, even his wife, Twinkle Khanna, lauded his gesture and wrote, "The man makes me proud. When I asked him if he was sure as it was such a massive amount and we needed to liquidate funds, he just said, ‘I had nothing when I started and now that I am in this position, how can I hold back from doing whatever I can for those who have nothing'".