Shah Rukh Khan
File photo of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh KhanGLENN CHAPMAN/AFP/Getty Images

Shah Rukh Khan has been hailed on Twitter after the Bollywood superstar came forward to provide Rs 5 lakh in financial aid to ailing former Asian boxing champion Kaur Singh.

The actor was moved by a report which stated that the 1982 Asian Games gold medallist was finding it difficult to pay Rs 2 lakh incurred for treating his cardiac condition. The money was given through Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR's) team. KKR wired the funds to Singh's account in Khanal Khurd in Sangrur.

The senior boxer, who lives in Khanal Khurd, is suffering from a serious cardiac problem and spends Rs 8,000 per month on medicines. Notably, the former national heavyweight champion remains the only boxer to have fought boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

'Our duty'

Khan wished Kaur a speedy recovery and healthy life. He also said it is the duty of every citizen to look after sportspersons, who "bring pride to the country".

"Sportspersons bring pride to a country and it is our duty to look after them as a society. After reading about Kaur Singh, we as a sporting unit, felt the need to stand by our fellow sportsman and urge everyone else to do the same in their own way. We wish Kaur Singh a speedy recovery and a healthy life," Khan said, according to a statement.

He added: "We, at Knight Riders, are extremely passionate about sports, which is not necessarily limited to cricket."

Kaur has been overwhelmed from the response. "After receiving such huge support from all over the country, I feel as if I am reliving the glory of the past. I thank everyone who came out and extended help," he said.

He has already received the Rs 2 lakh cheque that Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh promised him on Wednesday. Sangrur deputy commissioner visited Singh and handed him the cheque. Boxing Federation of India (BFI) too chipped in with Rs 1 lakh to help towards Singh's cause last week.

Kaur was discharged from a private hospital in Punjab on Tuesday, December 12.