Navi Mumbai: Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, with a film crew, is currently in Matheran where Babbar pulled a hand-rickshaw in the hill station to showcase the plight of people on Saturday as part of a web series shoot. He took a number of rides in hand-pulled rickshaws. On seeing this film shoot, locals started demanding that the e-rickshaw trial commence sooner. Actors Atul Kulkarni, Ayesha Jhulka and director J D Majethia were also present.

The four, with over 200 crew members, are in Matheran since Tuesday. The crew stayed in a heritage bungalow. Raj Babbar pulled a hand-rickshaw at Matheran railway station and other locations and later enjoyed an amusement ride with a few rickshaw pullers.

“As photos of the film crew went viral on social media, we started a drive to support the e-rickshaw campaign to show our plight,” said Shivaji Shinde, a local.

Director J D Majethia said some of the actors declined to take a ride, citing the plight of the handrickshaw pullers, but he added that all workers must have a steady livelihood. “In some places, battery-operated vehicles have replaced hand-pulled ones; so why not in Matheran? However, the beauty of Matheran should be kept intact with battery-operated rickshaws,” said Majethia.

“Senior actors like Raj Babbar have shown the world the locals’ plight. Director J D Majethia also has appealed to the authorities to provide battery-operated rickshaws in the hill station to showcase it to the world,” said activist Sunil Shinde.

Damu Wagh, a hand rickshaw puller, said: “They were taken to Matheran railway station, Charlotte lake, and other places.”

Ambalal Waghela, another rickshaw puller, said, “I had brought Babbar from the parking area of Dasturi Naka to the heritage bungalow on Tuesday.”