India’s Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra lend Bollywood star power to Covid-19 fight

Celebrities have tapped on their networks to provide oxygen supplies, free meals and even to help source hospitals and medicines for Covid-19 patients

Bollywood stars are idolised by many as ‘demigods’, and some have faced backlash for holidaying during the pandemic or not doing enough to help fellow Indians

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Priyanka Chopra aims to raise US$3 million by the end of May. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:30am, 18 May 2021Updated: 12:35pm, 18 May 2021

As India crossed the bleak milestone of 25 million coronavirus infections on Tuesday, Bollywood celebrities have stepped in to help out with relief work, organising food for Covid-19 patients, and to amplify the appeals of the needy on social media.

For months now, nowhere in the world has been hit harder than India by the pandemic, as a new strain of the virus fuels a surge in infections that has seen authorities reporting between 300,000 and 400,000 new cases daily.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, 38, was among the first stars to set the ball rolling, when she launched a fundraiser last month with her singer husband Nick Jonas. The effort was a collaboration between the Priyanka Chopra Jonas Foundation and GiveIndia, a pan-India non-profit organisation.

Chopra Jonas, who has 63 million followers on Instagram, posted an impassioned plea on April 29 for her fans to open their wallets if they had cash to spare, as India faced a shortage of oxygen supplies, vaccines, and other life-saving equipment. The message was also shared to her Twitter account, where she has some 27 million followers.

“Sick Covid patients have been forced to find ways to treat themselves at home as hospitals are choked with the surge in the number of cases and a shortage in oxygen supply,” a notice on the fundraising page said. “Let’s come together and help India stay safe and breathe again.”

Chopra Jonas hopes to collect US$3 million in donations by the end of May. As of Monday night, the fundraiser had amassed US$1.04 million from some 14,000 contributors.

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