Rising to the occasion: Here’s how Tollywood is helping the fight against coronavirus

With the number of coronavirus cases growing by the day across the country, India went into a 21-day lockdown from midnight of 24 March in order to restrict the spread. The virus has also been affecting Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with over 100 cases being reported collectively from the two regions. As the Central and State Governments are making efforts to support the citizens, the Telugu Film Industry, popularly known as Tollywood, too has stepped in to lend a helping hand during the crisis created by coronavirus. 

Several personalities, from Tollywood, have already announced their contributions to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund (PMRF) and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This includes actors such as Pawan Kalyan, Chiranjeevi, Jr NTR, Prabhas, Nithiin, Mahesh Babu, Ram Charan, and Nandamuri Balakrishna as well as directors like Trivikram Srinivas, Koratala Siva, and Anil Ravipudi among others. 

On 26 March, Janasena Party Chief Pawan Kalyan announced that he will be donating Rs 1 crore to the PMRF and Rs 50 lakh to each of the Telugu states. Later on, Ram Charan too tweeted that he will be donating Rs 70 lakh to the respective relief funds. While Prabhas pledged an amount of Rs 4 crore, Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu announced that they will donate Rs 1 crore each. Allu Arjun announced that he will donate a total sum of Rs 1.25 crore to the two Telugu states, as well as Kerala, which has been severely affected by the coronavirus. 

Apart from making donations, Tollywood has also been making multiple efforts to educate people about coronavirus. On 22 March, Manchu Lakshmi, Rana Daggubati, Kajal Aggarwal and several other actors from the fraternity went live from their respective Instagram handles from 7 AM to 8:30 PM. This initiative was launched to show solidarity with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a Janata Curfew and to further encourage viewers to practise social distancing and staying indoors. 

Owing to the nation-wide lockdown, the entertainment industry has also been shut down, thereby affecting the lives of several daily wage workers. In order to help them, a Corona Crisis Charity (CCC), a special committee has been constituted by Tollywood. Announcing it on social media, Megastar Chiranjeevi stated that Jr NTR has donated Rs 25 lakh to the cause while senior actor Nagarjuna has given Rs 1 crore. He further added that Suresh Productions has pledged to donate Rs 1 crore, while Mahesh Babu, and Ram Charan, have donated Rs 25 lakh and Rs 30 lakh respectively. Offering their support, actors Prabhas and Allu Arjun have donated Rs 50 lakh and Rs 20 lakh respectively. Other celebrities including Nani, Naga Chaitanya, Varun Tej, Sharwanand, Ravi Teja and many more have made contributions to the cause. 

Recently, Chiranjeevi even shared a special song featuring Nagarjuna, Varun Tej, and Sai Dharam Tej. The song, composed by the music director Koti, was shot at their respective homes. The video highlights the importance of social distancing and maintaining personal hygiene to combat the coronavirus. 

Following suit, actor Nani shared another video in association with the Government of Telangana on 30 March 2020. Various male and female actors such as Kajal Aggarwal, Rakul Preet Singh, Taapsee Pannu, Rana Daggubati, Adivi Sesh, Sudheer Babu, and others from the Telugu film fraternity, took part in this initiative. The three and a half minute video featuring these Tollywood stars showcases the do’s and don’ts to prevent the deadly coronavirus.  

Celebrities from Bollywood too, are doing their bit to help the country fight the coronavirus. Akshay Kumar announced that he will be donating Rs 25 crore to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) fund. Varun Dhawan pledged Rs 30 lakh to the PM-CARES fund, and Rs 25 lakh to Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. While actor Karthik Aryan donated Rs 1 crore to the PM-CARES fund, T-Series Studio Head, Bhushan Kumar said that he will donate Rs 11 crore.