As COVID-19 lockdown has led to suspension of film shoots and forced celebrities to stay indoors, it is not just the daily wage workers in the industry who have been out of work. Freelance entertainment photographers, too, have been hit hard as celebrities do not step out to hit gyms or travel.
Filmmaker Rohit Shetty has come to the aid of these photographers, transferring money to their bank accounts. According to the Instagram posts of entertainment photographers Viral Bhayani and Yogen Shah, Shetty has directly sent money to the bank accounts of the photographers.
“In hard times the film industry is hit so bad and one man who has come forward and helped the Cine employees with his donation has also now gone an extra mile to help the paps. Our hertfelt gratitiude to #RohtiShetty for supporting the families of paparazzi photographers by directly sending out payments to their bank accounts (sic),” wrote Viral Bhayani in an Instagram post.
Yogen Shah wrote: “Bollywood’s most favourite director and producer In additional to being humble and generous, #ROHITSHETTY who donated money to film industry workers, In addition to his general goodness, in such never before difficult times he is helping paparazzi photographers by depositing payments in to their bank accounts. We will always remember and value your kindness and support.”
Apart from the this, the director has also donated Rs 51 lakh to the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), to help the daily wage workers in the film industry, say media reports.
Shetty’s next movie, Sooryavanshi, the third film in his cop universe after Ajay Devgn’s Singham and Ranveer Singh-starrer Simmba, will be released after the lockdown is lifted. The film was initially scheduled to be released on March 24.
