Akshay Kumar started his career as an action hero and it was the success of Khiladi franchise that brought him to the foray of success and stardom in the Hindi cinema industry. Kumar, who is hugely known for his philanthropic efforts, earlier this year came up with a scheme , Bharat Ke Veer app, to help the families of martyred soldiers. And now he has another scheme ready to help the stuntmen and stuntwomen community of Bollywood.
Last year, Akshay Kumar wrote a heartwarming letter addressing the unsung heroes of action sequences and their families. He expressed that the stunt community deserved more than a wage packet. “You deserve so much more than just a wage packet, and I hope I live long enough to see a change in that. I know that in my 25-year long career nothing much has changed! But it will, and I will try and make sure of that… Till then Thank You and take great care. Good luck with the fight for your rights… RIP to all those who have lost their lives,” the letter read.
The actor called for a press conference on April 24, 2016, and announced a special insurance scheme for Bollywood stuntmen/stuntwomen and their families. “When I came to this industry, my first words were I am a stuntman first and an actor later. And for the past 10 years, I had only one action producer. I am here solely because of the action films I did at the beginning of my career. And therefore, I want to thank all the stuntmen, stuntwomen, stunt choreographers and action directors who taught me how to be a Khiladi,” an emotional Akshay Kumar addressed the media fraternity.
Planned and created by Kumar and acclaimed surgeon Dr Ramakanta Panda, here’s how the scheme will work:
- The insurance scheme covers 380 stuntmen and women between 18 to 55 years of age.
- In a case of hospitalization due to any physical injury or accident, while doing stunts, a stuntman will be covered for Rs 6 lakh at about 4,000 hospitals through a cashless system.
- In an unfortunate case of death, Rs 10 lakh will be passed on to the appointed nominee.
