Helping people far more satisfying than being part of Rs 1000-crore film: Actor

Kokrajhar, Mar 3 (PTI) Bollywood actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood stated that bringing positive changes in people’s lives gives him “far more satisfaction” than being a part of any Rs1000-crore film.

Sood, who had helped lakhs of migrant workers return homes following the COVID-19 outbreak, said at the concluding day of the Bodoland Knowledge Festival here on Thursday that the pandemic has changed his approach towards life.

“I have worked in around 100 films in different languages- Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Chinese and English. The films were a hit…..I got success but when COVID-19 struck, I got a chance to connect with common people.

“They were people I didn’t know, never met them before and probably will never meet again. It was only when I was able to bring some joy to their lives knowingly or unknowingly and got blessings in return, I realised what success looked and felt like,” he underlined.

The actor had booked chartered flights and buses for stranded migrant workers, who did not have means to return home, when the first lockdown was announced in 2020. He had also arranged a flight to bring home students from Kyrgyzstan to India.

Sood said that he had been working in films for the past 18 to 20 years but “believe me, you may become part of a Rs 500-crore or Rs 1,000-crore film but that achievement won’t give you the same amount of happiness that you will experience as you bring positive changes in a person’s life”.

Sood said that his relation with Assam is not new.

“When the pandemic had started, I received tweets from a lot of people from the northeast, who were stuck amid heavy rain in Mumbai. The first chartered flight that I had he booked was for Odisha and the second for Assam.

“Many people had sent texts to say that they would come back to meet me later. Some of them did… a few of them are working with me now and some have gone on to become my friends,” he added.

The actor also urged the youth of Bodoland to work together to develop the region.