Sonu Sood Faces Backlash For Bike Ride In Spiti Without Helmet; Here’s How Actor Responds
A video of actor Sonu Sood riding a motorcycle without a helmet or safety gear in Spiti Valley has gone viral on Instagram, sparking widespread criticism. Netizens have condemned the actor for his apparent disregard for road safety, especially notable as he has recently been advocating for it himself. The situation seemed to escalate when the Spiti Police took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that legal action would be taken in response to the incident.
The video, posted on Instagram three days ago, shows Sood riding a bike wearing only a pair of shorts and sunglasses, without a helmet or any protective gear. He is seen leading a group of bikers along a narrow, winding mountain road right next to cliffs. The text overlay on the video reads: “Yeh Spiti hai… yahan sirf asli log chalte hain…”
The clip quickly drew criticism online. One user commented, “Pls wear riding gears n helmet …you’ve been a great example of kindness and inspiration. Pls don’t encourage riding without helmet n proper gears in terrain like these.” Another added, “So-called star riding without helmet and gears.” A third questioned, “So will @himachalpolice take any action on @SonuSood for riding naked without a helmet in Spiti? No protective gear, no clothes — for god knows what he is trying to promote. Are celebrities above the law? @splahhp #HimachalPradesh.”
In response, Spiti Police released an official note on X stating: “A video is going viral on social media in which a Bollywood actor is seen violating traffic rules in Lahaul-Spiti district. According to preliminary information, the video appears to be from the year 2023.”
Sonu Sood later addressed the controversy on X, clarifying that the clip was from a scripted shoot. “Safety First. We always abide by the laws, an old clip without the helmet was a part of our script. So kindly ignore. RIDE SAFE. RIDE SMART. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET,” he wrote. However, he did not clarify which project the footage was for but also shared a new video showing himself riding a motorcycle with a helmet, alongside other bikers.