Alia Bhatt took to Instagram Stories on Wednesday to urge her fans to support relief efforts for those affected by the ongoing floods in Assam.
The actress wrote, “It happens every year and it still catches us off guard,” reflecting on the recurring nature of the monsoon flooding in the state.
She added, “Assam needs immediate relief right now, and it’ll need support for the long road to recovery,” underlining both the urgency of the crisis and the extended rebuilding effort that will follow.
According to figures cited in reports on her appeal, the floods have claimed more than 60 lives, with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority later updating the toll to 75.
The floods have affected an estimated 4.45 lakh people across 631 villages in the state, leaving many families without homes, land or livestock.
Bhatt said she would use her platform over the coming days to share information about organisations working on relief efforts on the ground, using the hashtag #CircleOfHope to direct followers to verified resources.
She is among several Bollywood figures who have responded to the crisis, with Salman Khan’s Being Human foundation launching a multi-phase relief operation to distribute food and essential supplies through local channels.
Actors Bhumi Pednekar, Ayushmann Khurrana and his wife Tahira Kashyap have also stepped forward, with Khurrana and Kashyap contributing to the Assam Chief Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.
The wave of celebrity appeals comes as authorities in Assam continue rescue and relief operations across the worst-hit districts of the state.
The Assam floods have become an annual monsoon crisis in the state, with rivers including the Brahmaputra regularly breaching embankments and displacing large numbers of families across low-lying districts.
Bollywood celebrities have a long history of using their social media platforms to draw national attention to disaster relief efforts, often crediting on-ground organisations directly to help channel donations more effectively.
(Image: Photo: Prime Minister’s Office (GODL-India), Wikimedia Commons)
