Mumbai: Actor Sonu Sood has been named the number one Asian celebrity on the planet for 2020. Sonu Sood topped the ‘50 Asian Celebrities In The World’ list. The list is published by the UK-based ‘Eastern Eye’ newspaper. No doubt, Sonu’s charity work to help the migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic made him a very popular figure.
The newspaper said the actor has been honoured for his philanthropic activities during the COVID-19 induced lockdown.
Feeling honoured
Sonu himself shared the news of him being honoured. “Thank you, Eastern Eye, for recognising my efforts. As the pandemic broke, I realised it was my duty to help my countrymen. It was an instinct that came from within. Eventually, this was something I came to Mumbai for, it was my responsibility as an Indian which I did and I won’t stop till my last breath,” he said.
Other Indian personalities from the world of cinema, music and fashion also featured on list this year. Among them are Armaan Malik at fifth, Priyanka Chopra (sixth), Telugu superstar Prabhas (seventh), Ayushmann Khurrana (11th), Diljit Dosanjh (14) and Shehnaaz Gill (16). The 20th place went to the legendary Amitabh Bachchan and he was followed by actor Pankaj Tripathi (23rd).
New roles on the anvil
Sonu also said that in the past few months the kind of roles coming his way has changed.
“The kind of roles that have been offered are different. They are larger than life and real life hero roles. Things that I have done in real life, they are trying to put that in my scripts, too, which is different. I have to make sure that I live up to the expectations and do justice with whatever I do,” informed Sonu.
“There is a huge amount of responsibility. I came to Mumbai to become an actor. I will keep on doing what I enjoy the most. There will be new roles, and some new stories,” added the actor.
Hosting new series
At present, Sonu is seen hosting Bharat Ke Mahaveer. The series brings stories that represent the spirit of solidarity in India. It celebrates Indians who have shown extraordinary kindness during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sonu explained why he wanted to be part of such a series. “I wanted to connect with every single individual who did something during these tough times for a common man. I wanted to understand how the whole drive started. And it was very inspiring and a great learning experience,” Sonu pointed out.
The series airs on Discovery Channel, and Discovery Plus app.
