Vijay Deverakonda raises Rs 40 lakh through fan donations to help families affected by lockdown

South star Vijay Deverakonda is elated to have raised over Rs 40 lakh through fan donations to support families hit hard due to the nationwide lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The "Arjun Reddy" star said the amount is sufficient to help more than 4,000 affected families.

Deverakonda, 30, recently announced the launch of a Middle Class Fund, set up by The Deverakonda Foundation, with a donation of Rs 25 lakh from his end to help those who are struggling to get groceries and facing salary cut in the wake of the lockdown.

Taking to Twitter, the actor wrote that he was overwhelmed with the number of people who came forward to donate for the fund.

"Today what I saw was magical. Mass care mass love, mass generosity. Each one of you, this #MiddleClassFund and its success belongs to you. I promise I will not let you down, we will reach out to each and every one who reaches out to us and we shall all enjoy the happy smiles that shine back at us.

"In a day you made my 25 lakhs into 40+ lakhs. Together we have now reset our goal of 2000+ families to 4000+ families," he wrote.

Deverakonda said while the team currently includes four people, he hopes to build it into a group of 34 so that they are able to reach more people faster.

According to The Deverakonda Foundation website, the fund has been set up with an aim "to provide relief to affected middle-class families during the COVID crisis. The fund will help affected families buy basic groceries and essential food items."