When you are helping others, sleep is the last thing that comes to your mind: Sonu Sood

When you are helping others, sleep is the last thing that comes to your mind said Sonu Sood while in conversation with Ms Shubhraa Maheshwari, Chairperson of FLO Hyderabad Chapter at an tete-a-tete, FLO Hyderabad organised at Hotel The Park in Somajiguda on Mahashivratri evening.

Giving her opening remarks, Ms. Shubhraa Maheshwari described him as India's modern Karna for charity. Karna not only did he donate whatever was asked for, but he also went beyond common man's way of thinking to show his generosity, Shubhraa said. Sonu Sood is a hero with a golden heart.

Speaking on work life balance he does, he said if you want to help somebody you should not worry about time. We don’t get time, but we must adjust and manage it, he said responding to a question. I get requests at the shooting locations too. Even after packing up and all leaving the shooting set, many times I end up spending time till late night as film industry workers approach me with problems of their near and dear, he shared.

Speaking about time management, he narrated an incident. When he returned home from work in the middle of the night, he found a girl from Kolkata waiting to meet him. On meeting her he came to know that she had some neurological issue. Then he made an arrangement for her stay in Mumbai that night and in that midnight itself he sent a message to one of the famous neuro-specialists in Mumbai. To his surprise the doctor, who he didn't know, also responded by 2am and in the morning the girl was sent to the hospital. She spent the next five months in the hospital and now living healthy, he shared. In such situations we don't mind what and how much time we spend, he added. If you want to help you must forget time, he added.

95 percent of the people who joined us in this mission are not known to us and we never met them. But, they all came forward to help us, he said. We got connected to 7.5 lakh people during and after the pandemic. We performed 29 liver transplants and 45 kidney transplants, he said . The pandemic is over long back but still people approach him with their problems. There is always a kilometer long queue at his house. I was alone when we started this journey, but today many joined us and helped us. We are able to help people in such a large numbers due to collaborative help, Sonu Sood informed.

We can't help or feed so many. Our resources are limited. But we don't leave any stone unturned to help people, he said.

Though the journey continues, what is next, what are his future plans? Responding to this he said, 'we are working on setting up Old Age Homes. One is coming up at Shirdi. Another will will come up in Telangana. Work on this is started in Punjab. We are exploring UP. Our earnest hope and desire is to see that every state will have an Old Age Home and a free School in near future, he said.

There are many who do Cheque Charities. But, personal touch is very important. A girl who was suffering with a lung problem was airlifted to Hyderabad from Nagpur. Her brother accompanied her. But, unfortunately we couldn't save her, subsequently her brother too succumbed. She was working in Indio. The parents lost their both siblings. So make it a point to visit their parents in Nagpur whenever it is possible. That is the personal touch I prefer , he said.

On Politics he said, it is true that many politicians and political parties tried their best to lure me. The offers were so tempting but nobody could refuse them. But, my interest is elsewhere. No doubt that I wanted to associate with a political outfit which does a great deal of service to society. But, as of now I don't have any interest in jumping into politics. I have much more to do in my chosen film industry.

He spoke about his upcoming film Fateh, which will be an action-thriller. It is about Cyber Crime and how many innocent people are falling victim to it. Based in Punjab, Delhi , the film which might be released by end of the year will highlight how common people are exploited. It is a film of ‘One man’s war against India’s hidden enemy’, he announced.

While many joined hands with him in his endeavour, how was the response from his own industry? Replying to this question he said many in the film industry did their bit in their own way and encouraged me a lot he said.

I have strong connections to Hyderabad. My wife is a Telugu woman, he shared. Whatever I have achieved, I have learnt working down south, Sonu Sood shared.

I will continue to do what I am doing till my last breath. What good wishes people can do to us, nothing else can do more, he concluded his interaction.