Sanya Malhotra joins forces with PETA India against elephant 'joyrides'
Darpan News Desk IANS, 10 Aug, 2021 12:03 PM
Mumbai, Aug 10 (IANS) The star of the Netflix black comedy 'Pagglait', Sanya Malhotra, is ready to turn heads all over again in a new World Elephant Day (August 12) campaign with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India.
Shot by ace photographer Taras Taraporvala, the ad features Malhotra with a ghastly 'cut' on her face seemingly made by an 'ankus' (a sharp-edged device used to control elephants), asking her fans to "try to relate" to the animal's fate by never riding an elephant. Her hairstyling and make-up were done by Natasha Mathias.
"When I act on screen or dance, I do so because it brings me true joy. But the elephants used for ‘joyrides' and performances don't have a choice at all: they are beaten into submission and usually never get to see their families again," Malhotra said.
Often when they're just two years old, baby elephants are torn away from their mothers and either tied up between trees with heavy chains and ropes – causing painful burns – or confined to a cramped wooden enclosure called a 'kraal'.
To break their spirits and force them to obey, trainers beat the young elephants with sticks and jab them with the 'ankus' – a weapon with a sharp metal hook on one end, such as the one shown in the ad featuring Malhotra.
Malhotra mostly appears in Hindi films and has had recent parts in 'Shakuntala Devi' and 'Ludo'. Her upcoming film roles include ones in the romantic comedy 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar' and with Vikrant Massey and Bobby Deol in 'Love Hostel'.
In its first edition, with 110 designers participating, it was amongst one of India's largest fashion fundraisers raising almost Rs 50 lakh for five weaver and embroidery communities.
The actors along with producers Jackky Bhagnani and Deepshikha Deshmukh met Ajay Bijli, Chairman and Managing Director, PVR at PVR Priya for the event.
The Akshay Kumar-starrer spy thriller "Bell Bottom" will now have a theatrical release on August 19. The film's release was pushed from April 2021 to July 27 due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Paul has been working as a choreographer for 10-12 years and has worked in films like "ABCD 2" and "A Flying Jatt". He proudly owns an apartment in Goregaon West and thanks his profession for this achievement.
The actress plays the central character of a vulnerable girl, 'Nazia' in the movie, who is married across the border of Kashmir. The story revolves around how the tensions at the borders become a barrier between the couple.
