In light of environmental degradation and widespread coverage of animal cruelty, many of our favourite Bollywood stars are opting to go vegetarian. John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Vidya Balan and Amitabh Bachchan are proponents of the lifestyle.
“I am vegetarian. As a result, my metabolism has improved, and this is a huge contributor to weight loss,” Vidya Balan said in an interview while Vivek Oberoi has explained, “I realised I do not want to be hypocritical. To turn vegetarian was a conscious decision.”
Bollywood stalwart Amitabh Bachchan is known to have made his stance clear. “I am a vegetarian by choice and out of purely personal inclination.” He is said to enjoy popular meat-free foods such as aloo puri, pakodas and dhoklas.
Actresses Ayesha Takia, Mallika Sherawat and Amala Akkineni have taken vegetarianism a step further and are vegans: they abstain from animal products including milks and eggs. Ayesha recently tweeted “Proud to be a VEGAN, vegetarianism rocks, I love it.” Sultry Mallika said, “Vegetarianism is a cause very close to my heart. In fact, I’m a vegan.” The actress is also a vegan trainer and has plans to start a vegan restaurant. For yesteryear star Amala, veganism is a lifestyle choice and she is known to wear only artificial silk saris, advocating a “beauty without cruelty” approach.
The Bolly Holly Vegan Cookbook, announced by PETA in July, has paired a host of Bollywood celebrities such as Sonakshi Sinha and Neha Dhupia with some of Hollywood’s leading stars. The book will be a compilation of their favourite vegan recipes, encouraging the public to join the green bandwagon.
