Mumbai: Amid lockdown, Akshay Kumar comes to Gaiety-Galaxy's rescue
What's the story
Akshay Kumar has been actively lending support to combat the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that has engulfed the world. After coming up with awareness videos on social media and contributing to several coronavirus charities and funds, the actor has now offered help to Mumbai's iconic cinema hall Gaiety-Galaxy, which is suffering big time due to the lockdown. Here is more on this.
Details
Gaiety-Galaxy is unable to pay salaries to employees
Like theaters and cinema halls across the country, Gaiety-Galaxy will continue to remain shut until at least May 3 due to lockdown. The popular theater suffered a great deal from the shutdown and its owners are struggling to pay salaries to the staff. According to a report in Mid-Day, Manoj Desai, the owner of Gaiety-Galaxy, had to take a bank loan to provide salaries.
Help
Akshay has offered financial aid to the theater owner
After the news came to Akshay's notice, he contacted the theater owner and offered financial aid. "I got a call from Akshay ji. He offered to provide financial assistance if the scenario continues," Desai said. He added they must find a way to sustain business. "It was kind of him to offer help, but we should find a way to sustain ourselves," he said.
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Recovering from a 45-day period will be tough: Desai
Desai said they have managed to collect enough funds to pay the salaries for April. However, he acknowledged that theater shutdown for such a long period will have long-term consequences. He added that they are trying not to lay off staff or resort to pay cuts. He further informed that they are now working on a plan of action for the coming month.
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We'll ensure we don't seek support from industry: Desai
"I will head to Gaiety and Maratha Mandir today to finalize our plan of action for May. We are reworking our plans to ensure that we don't have to seek support from the industry folk," Desai further told the publication.
Contribution
Last month, Akshay contributed Rs. 25 crore to PM's fund
Akshay was among the first movie stars to contribute to charity amid the coronavirus outbreak. Last month, Akshay announced a contribution of Rs. 25 crore to PM-CARES Fund launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This is that time when all that matters is the lives of our people. And we need to do anything and everything," Akshay wrote, while making the announcement.