Bollywood
There are a number of Bollywood stars who take up philanthropic causes in a number of fields. Some work for the environment while others donate their time or money for humanitarian causes. But in a world where the publicity of charity has become bigger than the charity itself, one actor chose to keep his philanthropic endeavour a secret for 26 years. The reason was the protection of several innocent lives.
Updated : Jul 15, 2024, 11:56 AM IST
There are a number of Bollywood stars who take up philanthropic causes in a number of fields. Some work for the environment while others donate their time or money for humanitarian causes. But in a world where the publicity of charity has become bigger than the charity itself, one actor chose to keep his philanthropic endeavour a secret for 26 years. The reason was the protection of several innocent lives.
The actor who helped save girls from sex trafficking ring
In the 90s, Suniel Shetty’s mother-in-law Vipula Kadri joined hands with him to start an NGO that helped rescue and rehabilitate victims of human and sex trafficking. While the actor kept mum on his efforts for years, in a recent interview with Times Now, he finally opened up on the work done. “The hero behind this entire thing was my mother-in-law, Vipula Kadri. Earlier we used to run this NGO called Trafficking in India, but then we shifted it because we were having problems with the name and other people were using it. Now it's called Vipla Foundation. My mother-in-law along with a whole lot of NGOs got together and took this bold step to get out more than 400 little girls from the world across,” he said.
When Suniel Shetty was targeted by the underworld
However, the organisation’s work in rescuing the girls from various parts of India did not make the underworld dons behind these rings very happy. For a time, the actor and his family were targeted by these criminals. “We had the underworld after us after that, but we managed thanks to good friends and the police and the department. When good people take up good causes, the system also helps you. And that's exactly what happened,” the actor told Times Now.
Why Suniel Shetty kept the rescue secret
In a day and age when even the smallest of philanthropic acts are publicised by actors and their PR teams, Suniel Shetty chose to keep quiet about this aspect of his life for years. The actor said in the interview that he did it to protect the very girls his team was rescuing. “I've never spoken about it, and I don't want to talk about it, because it could have been harmful, and it can be harmful in the future also. Because these are things that is done with the highest confidential team,” he said.
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