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Whether it is standing up for the rights of stuntmen in the Indian film industry or training girls for self-defence, supporting the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ or narrating the story of a man who took up the cause of menstrual hygiene — National Award-winning actor Akshay Kumar has dabbled in it all. He says his social work is a result of compassion towards humanity.
“I am really fortunate that God has given me fame, money and a celebrity status, and many youngsters get influenced by what I do. So I think my whole idea of standing for any cause is to utilise the power in a responsible manner. My social work comes from pure compassion. I talk about issues that I feel for,” Akshay told IANS here.
Once known as the poster boy of action dramas in Bollywood, over the past few years Akshay has associated himself with films with patriotic themes — like Airlift and Rustom — and those with a social message, like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and Pad Man. While Toilet… was about the need of toilets, Pad Man was aimed at spreading awareness on menstrual hygiene — both hardly spoken about subjects.
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He says though he can make a lot of money from films, he also feels responsible to help in building the society.
“If I want, I can make a Singh Is Kinng part 2… I know I have an audience for that. I know I can make millions of money from such a film. Not that I am not interested… But as a celebrity, I should be changing one thought. I should be influencing youngsters to contribute to a good cause. That is how we can build a society. I am doing it in my way,” he said with a smile.