Akshay Kumar's request to donate for temple construction dubbed a 'PR stunt'

Renowned Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar on Sunday urged his fans to contribute to the construction of the Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh's (UP’s) Ayodhya district.

In a tweet, the Welcome star said that the construction of the temple was a matter of great pleasure and now it was “our turn to contribute.”

"I have started, hope you will join, too," he wrote, along with a video where the 53-year-old actor can be seen narrating a story from the Ramayana to persuade his fans to contribute according to their capacity.

This was after India kicked off a nationwide drive to rack up donations for the temple’s construction. The campaign is set to go on till February 27, reported The Economic Times.

In response to this, many on Twitter called him a 'Hindu Sher', lauding his effort for the cause. However, the majority reacted quite differently. "This is just another PR exercise for the upcoming movie Ram-Setu. It’s an image makeover, since his last film was hit with controversies and rightly so, Laxmmi was just a propaganda film," a user tweeted.

Several others dug up old video clips of Kumar to mock him. "He was also the same guy who said don't waste money going to Mandir," a user wrote.

The actor, who was last seen in Laxmmi, will now be seen in director Abhishek Sharma's Ram Setu, which will depict the story of the Ram Setu bridge. Kumar will also be seen in Sooryavanshi, Bell Bottom, Bachchan Pandey and Atrangi Re.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.