Ranthambore, Jul 15: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan today made an earnest appeal to the Hindi film fraternity to help save the diminishing number of tigers in the country.
The 69-year-old actor, who fronts the ‘Save Our Tigers' campaign, said that celebrities have the ability to get the attention of people and they should make good use of it.
“I hope that more celebrities come out and support the cause of the tigers. It is not just any other social cause, it is a national issue. It is not just about star-power.
“I feel that if there is an individual who is loved by people and they listen to what he says, then he or she should make good use of it. I would encourage many from my fraternity to come and join me,” Bachchan told PTI.
The National award-winning actor, who has been a part of the campaign since its inception in 2010, also said that the gravity of the situation of tigers in India made him take up this project so strongly.
“When I was approached for it, I thought it would be just another social cause. But gradually when I became deeply involved, I learned so much more about the plight of tigers India.
“The current tiger population of India consists of 50 per cent of the world's tiger population. The next five years is going to be very crucial for long term survival of tigers,” said Bachchan, who is in Ranthambore today for a live telethon by NDTV to support the cause.
The campaign is an initiative of Aircel and NDTV to highlight the urgency of the situation facing our national animal and urge the public to embrace the cause.
“We thought of it in 2008 but it took two years to get things in place. We as a company wanted to do something for the tiger, which are a legacy in itself. The generations to come should also get to see this marvellous animal. I am happy to see how far we have come.
“Our campaign on 1411 tigers became such a rage and now there are 1706 tigers in our country, so we can proudly say that the campaign has become a movement,” said Sandip Das, Director of Aircel.
