Responding to an appeal from Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh over the weekend, several Bollywood celebrities have changed the display pictures on their social media handles to the logo of the Maharashtra Police, who have lost six members to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stars who have changed their profile pictures include Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Katrina Kaif, Karan Johar, Varun Dhawan, Madhuri Dixit, Shabana Azmi, Vidya Balan, Arjun Kapoor, Ananya Panday, Sidharth Malhotra, Richa Chadha and Sonu Sood. Sports stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri also changed their pictures, as did industrialist Anand Mahindra.
On Saturday, Anil Deshmukh tweeted: "Maharashtra Police has stood by citizens through calamities, attacks and disasters. Today, as they lead the war on Corona on the streets, I've decided to celebrate them by changing my DP on Twitter, Facebook Instagram etc to the Maharashtra Police logo. Join me in this endeavour."
Maharashtra Police has stood by citizens thro' calamities, attacks & disasters. Today as they lead the war on Corona on the streets, I've decided to celebrate them by changing my DP on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc to the Maharashtra Police logo. Join me in this endeavour
— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) May 9, 2020
Bollywood responded swiftly to Mr Deshmukh's call, with many stars sharing a personal message. Shah Rukh Khan wrote in a tweet: "I stand in solidarity with Maharashtra police. Thanks to Anil Deshmukh and Mumbai police for relentless efforts in the face of this adversity. Very grateful to doctors, medical staff, health workers who are leading the fight against the virus on the frontlines."
I stand in solidarity with Maharashtra police @DGPMaharashtra.
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) May 10, 2020
Thank u to @AnilDeshmukhNCP @MumbaiPolice for relentless efforts in the face of this adversity. Very grateful to doctors, medical staff, health workers who are leading the fight against the virus on the frontlines. pic.twitter.com/u8Rq7RWjr5
Akshay Kumar tweeted: "Every day I hear incidents of bravery of our frontline workers who are putting fear and exhaustion aside and putting us first. One such hero is our Maharashtra Police. I'm changing my DP to theirs as a mark of respect."
Everyday I hear incidents of bravery of our frontline workers who are putting fear & exhaustion aside and putting us first. One such hero is our Maharashtra Police, I'm changing my DP to theirs as a mark of respect.Join in, together let's say #DilSeSalute to them@DGPMaharashtra
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 10, 2020
Anil Deshmukh has been tweeting back to each celebrity thanking them for the change in display picture; he also shared a video message and wrote a caption in Hindi, which translates to, "I sincerely thank all the dignitaries in the field of industry, sports, entertainment, etc, as well as all sections of the society for their positive response to my call and for their efforts to boost the morale of the Maharashtra Police." Take a look:
#MaharashtraPolice#WarAgainstVirus pic.twitter.com/FD98VwS8tG
— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) May 11, 2020
Maharashtra, the state worst-hit by the Coronavirus, has recorded over 22,000 positive cases. India's total cases have crossed 67,000.
