Dia Mirza Responds After BMC Pulls Her Pollution-Free Diwali Ad
After Mumbai’s BMC took down Dia Mirza’s pollution-free Diwali video, she says the PSA was about public health, not politics.
Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has removed Dia Mirza’s video from its pollution-free Diwali campaign after a political objection, and the actor is responding with a clear call: put public health above politics.
What happened to the video
The BMC was running an awareness push for an environment-friendly Diwali, featuring several familiar faces. Alongside Dia Mirza, the campaign included Madhuri Dixit and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane. The clip featuring Dia asked citizens to avoid noise and air pollution during the festival.
On Sunday, Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam criticised the civic body for featuring her. In a post on X, he wrote, “We don’t need lessons on how to celebrate Diwali from deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture,” and tagged the BMC. The civic body then took down Dia Mirza’s video from its social media account, without offering a public explanation.
Dia Mirza’s response
Dia has long spoken about environmental issues, and she told Hindustan Times that the recording was meant to serve public awareness rather than question anyone’s tradition.
“Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair. The video was recorded in the interest of public awareness, with the intention of encouraging a healthier and more mindful celebration. Air pollution is a matter of public health, and every effort towards reducing it is a step towards a better environment for all.”
She also addressed the payment question that has surfaced around the state’s anti-cracker push. After the Bombay High Court last week urged celebrities to support Maharashtra’s anti-firecracker campaign without payment, Dia said she had never charged money for public service campaigns. “No idea who has been paid hefty amounts,” she added.
The wider fight over cracker pollution
Dia suggested the reaction was not an isolated event. In the same conversation, she said that every time she and others speak up against cracker use, they get attacked, and that she has been focusing on air quality for over a decade.
That context matters. The campaign was a civic health message, not a personal post, and the court had been pushing for celebrity support without payment. The deletion therefore lands as more than a takedown: it raises questions about how much room public figures have to support health campaigns when their involvement becomes controversial.
Why it matters
- The BMC’s campaign asked citizens to avoid noise and air pollution during Diwali.
- One tagged objection from Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam preceded the removal.
- Dia Mirza says she has never charged for a public service campaign.
For fans, the takeaway is simple: a celebrity’s health message can disappear from a public platform quickly, even when the message itself is about cleaner air. Dia’s response keeps the focus on the reason the video existed in the first place—reducing pollution, not winning a political argument.
Source: Mid-day
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