The idol of Sonu Sood stands in a new temple in Dubba Tanda, a village in Siddipet district, and the villagers who built it say they mean the word literally. “He is a god for us,” said Giri Kondal Reddy, a Zilla Parishad member.
The temple was inaugurated on a Sunday in December 2020, with the sculptor and local people in attendance. An aarti was performed. Women in traditional dress sang folk songs and raised slogans.
Reddy said Sood had done a lot of good work for the public during the coronavirus pandemic. “As he has attained the place of God by his good deeds, we have built a temple for Sonu Sood,” he said.
Sood, the actor, did not take it as a compliment he could simply accept. “This is an extremely overwhelming moment,” he said. “But at the same time, I don’t deserve this. I’m just a common man who helped his brothers and sisters.”
What earned the temple
Through 2020, Sood arranged safe road travel for migrants stuck in different parts of the country so they could get back to their home regions. Many came from poor families. Later he launched a job portal for migrant labourers, working with several employers.
The efforts earned him nicknames such as Messiah and superhero, and praise from many quarters. He said he was making sure that he reached more people and helped them back on their feet as the pandemic continued.
