In October 2020, Andhra Pradesh-based Vamsi Yandamoori reached out to Sonu Sood on social media, expressing his desire of becoming a pilot. Three years on, as he is doing his 18-month course of pilot training, he attributes his dream’s realisation to two factors: hard work, and the actor’s unwavering support.

Yandamoori knew early on that an aviation career would be an unattainable goal, given his humble background, and resorted to working as a helper and cleaner for a leading airline. In 2020, as soon as he tweeted to the star, seeking his help, a member of the Sonu Sood Foundation contacted him. Things fell in place quickly after that.

“Lakhs of people reach out to Sonu for help, but it’s not humanly possible for him to attend to every one of them. So, there are people spread across different cities, who then bring such cases to the Sonu Sood Foundation’s attention. Vamsi, who lives in Amalapuram, reached out to one such member. Eager to help him, the foundation reached out to an aviation institute in Bengaluru and offered to partially sponsor Vamsi’s education, making up for the shortfall in his fees. It’s an 18-month course, and includes 200 hours of flying,” says a source.

Currently, Yandamoori is working as a ground instructor at the aviation academy while pursuing the course. It’s almost unbelievable to him how the actor—known for his philanthropic ways— immediately turned things around for him.

He says, “Sonu-ji’s encouragement has transformed not only my life, but that of many. [Initially], I faced a lot of struggles. Sonu-ji helped me, and I received financial aid immediately.”

He wants to thank Sood for his kindness in his own way. “My dream is to fly Sonu Sood, and I eagerly await that moment. [When we met this August], he told me he is proud of me. That sentence is a lifetime achievement for me.”