It is important to hold government responsible: Anupam Kher on COVID-19 pandemic

Anupam Kher has joined the growing list of critics of the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, as he admitted that it had "slipped". The actor revealed in an interview that the anger and frustration among the people are justified. 

Speaking with NDTV, Kher said, "I think the criticism is valid in lots of cases. Only an inhuman person will not get affected by the bodies floating [in rivers]. It is important to hold the government responsible for what’s happening. Somewhere they have slipped. It is time for them to understand that there is much more to life than just image building maybe," he added. However, Kher added that it would not be right to indulge in criticism right now. 

The actor, like several of his peers, has been involved in charity and relief efforts. The actor has teamed up with Dr Ash Tiwari, chair, urology, at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital and Baba Kalyani, MD, Bharat Forge Ltd, to start Project Heal India. The campaign has been working to provide people and hospitals across Mumbai, Kanpur, Delhi and Patna access to ventilators, oxygenerators and other key medical necessities. 

The actor is among many film personalities like Sonu Sood, Srijit Mukherjee, Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone who have stepped up, using their influence to amplify and provide help to those in need. 

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"I’m helping myself by helping others. That’s a natural process of feeling compassion towards others. People have gone out of their way to help each other in times of war, floods, drought, and earthquakes. It’s not the first time people are helping each other," Kher said in the interview.