Producer Prernaa Arora joined her Toilet: Ek Prem Katha star Akshay Kumar as he pledged money to the families of soldiers killed in operations in Jammu & Kashmir. The initiative, Bharat Ke Veer, was launched in April by Union home minister Rajnath Singh. The website, www.bharatkeveer.gov.in, allows a donor to make a direct fund transfer to the next of kin of slain military and paramilitary personnel.
Speaking at an event earlier this month, Akshay Kumar appealed to CEOs of notable companies to support the cause by pledging to donate at least for slain soldiers hailing from one state. Within a few minutes, Rs6.5 crore was raised for the initiative.
Akshay Kumar's friends and associates from the film industry also stepped up for the cause. Close friend Vicky Oberoi chose to support Andhra Pradesh, while Prernaa Arora, co-founder of KriArj Entertainment, chose Himachal Pradesh.
Arora, who is from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, said in a statement, "We have learnt a lot from Akshay sir not just in the field of films, but also in the way he conducts himself in the larger context of social issues. Bharat Ke Veer is an extremely important initiative that he is supporting and in whatever way possible we would like to be a part of it. We have therefore taken on the responsibility of supporting the martyrs from Himachal Pradesh. I urge everyone to come forward and support this very noble cause."
According to BoxOfficeIndia.com, Akshay Kumar and Prernaa Arora’s latest project, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, has earned nearly Rs130 crore and caused quite a stir on the issue of open defecation in India.
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The actor and producer will reunite again for another social film, R Balki’s Padman, which is scheduled to be released next year.
Arora's KriArj Entertainment has a full roster of films with Parmanu, Pari, Fanney Khan and Kedarnath all lined up to be released this year and the next.