New Delhi: Actors, producers and filmmakers from Vir Das to Zeenat Aman have come out in support of Delhi-NCR’s dogs following the Supreme Court order that strays be housed in shelters within eight weeks. Many celebrities have adopted indie dogs and are now calling on the courts, citizens and civic bodies to show compassion.
“They call it a menace. We call it a heartbeat. Today, the Supreme Court says, take every stray dog off the streets of Delhi-NCR and lock them away. No sunlight. No freedom. No familiar faces they greet every morning,” wrote actor Janhvi Kapoor on Instagram.
An Instagram story template with the text “Today it’s the dogs. Tomorrow… who will it be?” has been reposted by actors such as Disha Patani, Sonam Bajwa and Fatima Sana Sheikh.
And it’s not just Bollywood actors who have taken up cudgels on behalf of Delhi’s dogs. Actors from West Bengal, Telangana, and Kerala are also speaking out.
Bengali actor Swastika Mukherjee, who not only actively works with dog rescues but also played a character who rescues indies in the first season of Paatal Lok, shared multiple posts against the order on her Instagram account. A recent video on her page shows stray dogs kept in a cramped space following a similar order in Jodhpur two years ago. She cautioned against what might happen in Delhi.
Telugu star Adivi Sesh shared an AI-generated image of stray dogs in front of the Supreme Court, with the caption, “Compassion and law hand in hand.” The Major actor also wrote that he has appealed to the Chief Justice of India and Delhi CM Rekha Bhardwaj to reconsider the mass confinement of street dogs.
Also read: Stray dogs have the right to live. SC order can trigger a wave of animal cruelty
Open letters and calls to action
Many of the actors who have spoken out against the order are proud owners of indies. John Abraham, who is currently promoting his web series Tehran, wrote an open letter to the Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai, requesting a review and modification of this judgment
“I hope you will agree that these are not “strays” but community dogs—respected and loved by many, and very much Delhiites in their own right, having lived in the region as neighbours to humans for generations,” wrote the actor in the letter.
Actor Isha Talwar of Mirzapur fame shared a photo of her rescued indie dog, Coconut, and urged her followers to stop “running behind foreign breeds”.
One of the most widely shared posts on Instagram about how to help stray dogs was by comic Vir Das. He urged people of Delhi-NCR to adopt an indie off the streets.
He outlined initiatives that can be taken to help the dogs in the meantime.
“Support your nearest animal welfare NGO. I plan on doing so, and I hope you will too. As appeals are filed in court and processes take their time, it’s important for our humanity to kick in immediately. Please do your part, big or small, it all adds up,” he wrote.
Filmmaker Siddharth Anand asked whether the authorities have the means to take care of so many street dogs.
“Who will look after their food there? At least on the streets, there are some empathetic humans still who feed these poor voiceless souls. They will die of hunger and thirst there and that’s the death warrant the SC has signed,” said Anand on X.
Zeenat Aman, who is also a parent to an indie, asked for a “more humane, logical and science-backed approach to the issue.”
Bhumi Pednekar posted a Mahatma Gandhi quote. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” read her Instagram story.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)
The activists should know the ground realities. Caring street dogs is never a bad thing. But the issue of people.who suffer from street dog bites is more very serious and concerning . The victims are generally people from lower strata, beggars, rag pickers, house helps and small children.
So where were all these celebs when a naked woman was paraded in Manipur, people were killed, hundreds died in stampedes. Except vir das I don’t see any of them saying anything of relevance ever.
Zeenat Aman. Goes right back to our college days.
Where are they when there is operation sindoor now with dogs where is pakistan in there mind set. They are jhandu and nikamma