Do we like Sonu Sood?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Huge, well-documented help for people, set against open tax and betting-probe allegations, a lost building appeal and one contested remark.
Sood is an Indian film actor who became known for something far bigger than movies in 2020. When the lockdown stranded migrant workers, he and a small team ran the Ghar Bhejo campaign, which reportedly arranged transport home for about 7.5 lakh people by bus and, in some cases, by plane. He has said he “hardly slept” in the first week.
The mess starts in September 2021, when the Income Tax Department alleged that Sood and his associates evaded about Rs 20 crore in tax, claiming income was routed through bogus loans. A report cited alongside it also said his non-profit raised money from overseas donors in alleged breach of foreign-donation law. His reply was that “Every rupee in my foundation is awaiting its turn” to help the needy. I couldn't find a final outcome.
Around the same time he fought the Mumbai civic body, which alleged he had turned a residential building in Juhu into a hotel without the right permissions. Sood denied it and said he had permission and was waiting on a coastal clearance. In January 2021 the Bombay High Court dismissed his appeal against the notice, telling him he was too late.
The newer cloud is a betting-app probe. In December 2025 the Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached about Rs 1 crore linked to Sood in its 1xBet money-laundering case, alleging celebrities had taken endorsement deals from foreign entities to promote the app. The article reports no charge against him and no response from him, and I found nothing later.
On the harm check, honestly, the record is thin. I found nothing from him on trans or LGBTQ+ people, women or the climate, in either direction. The contested moment was July 2024, when he replied to a user about a vendor accused of spitting on dough by invoking a Hindu story about Ram eating berries. Some saw compassion, critics said he was defending a wrong act. No apology was reported.
His latest stoush is with Kangana Ranaut, who described Gen Z protesters in terms that drew backlash. Sood said he hadn't heard her comments at first, then told a press conference it should not have been said. He argued young people help build public figures' careers.