18th May 2023,Mumbai: Anushka Sharma was seen riding a motorbike with her bodyguard on Monday after encountering a lane obstruction on a narrow Mumbai street. After the video was posted online and became popular, fans questioned why she wasn’t wearing a helmet. Two days after the incident, the Mumbai Traffic Police has now charged Anushka Sharma’s bodyguard Sonu Shaikh with violating traffic laws by operating a vehicle without a licence and wearing a helmet.
A tree had fallen and was obstructing the road, so neither Anushka nor her bodyguard were wearing helmets as they climbed on the bike. Mumbai Traffic Police shared images of the complaint on Twitter along with the statement, “Challan has been issued under Sec 129/194(D), Sec 5/180 & Sec 3(1)181 MV act to the driver along with a fine of Rs. 10500 & has been paid by the offender.” While driving without a legal licence can cost you roughly 10,000, not wearing a helmet will cost you 500. They were responding to a Twitter user’s allegation that the actor and the bodyguards were riding without helmets for a brief distance.
Fans responded to the fine in the comments section on Twitter and thanked the department for addressing it. One fan said, “Sir /Madam it is heartening to see you take action against Bollywood celebrities. This takes a lot of bravery.” Another asked, “Without any enquiry how and why issue challan with Sec 5/180 and Sec 3(1)/181 how you know that the motorcycle rider don’t have driving licence.” Yet another added, “I feel if any celebrity too is breaking any sort of rules set by the respective authorities then they should be treated just normally like any other human being. Rules must be common for all irrespective of any sort of position or power.”
Amitabh Bachchan had similarly shared a photo of himself riding without a helmet to work earlier in the week on Instagram. He said, “Thank you for the ride buddy.. don’t know you.. but you obliged and got me on time to location of work.. faster and in avoidance of the unsolvable traffic jams.. thank you capped, shorts, and yellowed T-shirt owner.” Users have received assurances from Mumbai Police that they will address both complaints. The seasoned actor then explained on his blog that he was not breaching any laws and that all legal clearances had been obtained for the South Mumbai film shoot.
Later this month, Anushka Sharma will make her Cannes debut at the French film festival. She was last seen in a cameo in Qala (2022). She’s scheduled to appear at a celebration of female actors and give an award alongside Kate Winslet.
-by Kashvi Gala