Sonu Sood: ‘It’s a great time for Indian cinema right now’

Sonu Sood is at an exciting point in his life right now and we love the enthusiasm in his voice when he talks about his latest ventures. Last month, the actor, philanthropist and engineer-at-heart, launched a gamified social media app, Explurger, and is visibly thrilled with the love from the users. The 48-year-old, spoke exclusively to First Post about his work as a co-founder of a Made-In-India app with cutting edge artificial intelligence, the great times our film industry is going through with the narrowing of the North-South divide, being given the epithet of messiah, his extraordinary experience hosting a show in South Africa, his upcoming films and more. Excerpts from  the interview: The film industry is coming closer these days and the North-south divide is almost gone. There are many South Indian films that are huge hits here. What do you feel about this?  It’s a great time for Indian cinema. Various language Indian cinemas — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and so on — coming together means that the creative exchange will get a boost. So it’s a terrific sign. It makes me especially happy because I have been part of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and other cinemas. I started my acting career in Telugu cinema. I have done almost 50-60 movies in South Indian cinema and have been part of the biggest blockbusters. I have worked in some fantastic Hindi language films and have been part of some blockbusters in Bollywood. So, I definitely feel blessed. A good thing about the North-South divide fading away is that it will keep the industries on their toes, and it means people will be motivated to make good content films; otherwise, the film won’t work. I am sure exciting roles and films will start rolling out more frequently. There are so many social media apps all around. Why do you think your app Explurger is doing well? We are not just a social media app. We are also your travel buddy. When building the app, we offered unique features such as the Bucket List, the Travelogue, and Rewards. Our unique features help you go beyond just sharing pictures and videos. The memories, photos, and videos you share become part of the Travelogue, which is created automatically for you by our cutting-edge AI. Many users love to check out how many miles they have travelled, how many countries and locations they have visited, and how many times. Explurger empowers the users because, on this app, you get rewards for being active in the app. The Bucket List is a hit feature, too. If you see someone Explurge-in at an exciting place, add that place to your Bucket List. Next time you are around that area; you will be reminded that you had saved it in your list. So, even if it is after years, you will get a notification about that place. Our users write to us saying that they love these features! Some say they are proud to use this Made in India social media app, which is competing with global giants. So, our features and our interface are a big draw. We are getting raving reviews, and I want to say, keep them coming. _Yahan nahi toh social nah_i. You launched Explurger last month, and are an active tech entrepreneur now. Tell us about the app and its progress. About 12 crore invitations have been sent to invite people on Explurger — that’s a massive endorsement of our social media app. We have added more than ten countries within a month of the launch, taking the count to exceed 50 countries. All our metrics are tracking well. Last I checked, the average engagement time has increased from 6 minutes to 11 minutes. And from 600 posts per day before the launch, we are now getting an average of 25K posts every day. It would be much more if I gave you the latest metrics. Our team is working overtime to manage the server load, thanks to an unprecedented number of downloads. User registration and downloads are going through the roof. We are starting a countdown to a million downloads soon. So, in short, we are thrilled. And we are working harder than ever to make you, our users, proud.” What do you do on a regular work-free day? You had told me when we last met, that you give two hours every morning to fitness and training - how do you spend the day when not shooting or training? To be honest, I don’t have any work-free days. When I have shoot-free days, there are other commitments that I need to fulfil. While working out every day is essential, so is spending time with family. And when there is no film shoot, I am busy with my businesses, my endorsements, my social media app Explurger, which has picked up pace, thanks to all of your love, and of course, what you call social work and I call helping out fellow human beings. It’s a privilege to be busy and I thank the almighty every day for it. You have been called the messiah and saviour many times in the last two years. Do you feel there is an immense responsibility that comes with it? Do you feel the pressure to deliver every day? I feel I am incredibly blessed to be in a position to help others. God has been kind to me, and I want to thank God by changing the lives of others for the better. I feel it is my responsibility as a human being to help others. It is also a privilege to be in a position to help others. But when I extend help, I don’t think of it as my duty or responsibility. It is just something that I do because it affects me deeply to see people in pain and unfortunate situations. And I don’t just sign a cheque, send it to some organisation, and forget about it. I stay in touch and follow up. Because I want to know how that person in need is doing, does he or she need any other help? Have they recovered well? Have their needs been met? And when someone succumbs despite our best efforts, it affects me deeply. As you would know, at any point, there are people outside my house looking for help. I want to be able to help each and every one. So, I have a team in place and my foundation to amplify my efforts and help as many as possible in every corner of the country. You are working in a Tamil film followed by Fateh…tell us about these and your other upcoming projects.  There are many projects on the anvil. My next is Faeth, which is very close to my heart. Fateh is an action-thriller backed by a solid storyline. As soon as I read the script, I knew I wanted to be in Fateh. The film is very topical and revolves around cybercrime and hacking. Our team has put months of research behind it. It is a thought-provoking story that deserves to be told. It is so exciting that we decided to produce it, too. Well, my money is on it, so you know how much I believe in that film. I have no doubt people will love it. Tell us about the vision you have when it comes to your foundation? 2020 has been a challenging year for all. But it was more difficult for some than others. When I saw those heart-wrenching visuals of people trying to arrange food and potable water, I had to step out and help them. Then I realized that migrant workers wanted to be with their families and were so desperate that they were ready to walk miles. I arranged transport for them. But there were others who needed help with treatment, studies, and so on. That is how it all began. Then others like me offered to pitch in. Our efforts multiplied. But to be able to help more people, we started the Sood Charity Foundation. It amplifies our efforts. Many approach us saying they want to contribute to making the world a better place, and the foundation enables this. With immense passion and a belief that everything is possible with the right amount of determination, our foundation wants to see everyone safe, happy and fulfilled. Our vision is to help people have the basic necessity, and we want to assist them in becoming financially independent. You played host on MTV Roadies Journey in South Africa - what did you love about the experience? MTV Roadies Journey in South Africa was one of my most extraordinary experiences of the last 20 years. I loved every bit of it and it turned out to be quite a learning experience. It challenged me in many ways. There was no pressure, so that added to the fun. But I knew I had to experience everything the contestants were experiencing, so I became a contestant myself in a way. That helped me push my limits and connect with them. We spent 45 days in South Africa, and every single day was a learning experience. It was like living my dream college life, only more exciting and thrilling. Debarati S Sen is a consultant journalist and writer who writes on music, culture, theatre, films, OTT and more. 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