MUMBAI: As the entire nation celebrated Independence Day with much fanfare, Bollywood and television stars united for a special charitable cause for Uttarakhand victims.
Several stalwarts from the industry graced the 7-hour long event, which was telecasted across major channels. The event included performances from Mika, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, who paid a tribute to the victims with a special song penned by Prasoon Joshi.
Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Imran Khan, Raveena Tandon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Boman Irani, Aditi Rao Hydari, Nargis Fakhri, John Abraham and many more stars graced the long evening and expressed their condolences to the people who lost their lives and supported the fund-raiser.
The highlight of the evening was when the two biggies of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan were present together on the dais.
Amitabh not only recited the poem written by Prasoon Joshi, but also narrated a few lines from his father’s famous poem ‘Agneepath’.
The actor also voluntarily contributed to the cause and auctioned three of his apparels – a Harley Davidson jacket, two royally embroidered and heavy work sherwanis. The proceeds of this will be driven towards rehabilitation. The Bachchan family also contributed Rs 11 Lakhs for the flood victims.
“I believe that there is nothing that can be done for the people dead. But for the one’s who are still alive, I believe that there is lot to be done and it is through initiatives like this that there is hope. Also I really hope that all the money reaches the right people, because often we see there is some discrepancy,” said Amitabh Bachchan.
Shah Rukh Khan and Raveena Tandon performed on stage on hit numbers. Shah Rukh Khan also donated Rs 33 Lakh from the collections of his ‘Chennai Express.’
“33 is just a number that came to my mind. We would like to do a lot personally since we cannot go physically and contribute. The number is just to tell more people to join in. We would not like to brag about the charity but whole-heartedly contribute,” added Shah Rukh Khan.
Mr Uday Shankar, CEO Star India said, “We have always believed in leveraging the power of television as a force for good.” (Read the detailed interview HERE)
With an array of performances, a musical tribute and the plethora of Bollywood stars making a royal presence, it was truly a star-studded affair. Not to forget the cause too being special and the gala reunion!
