Mumbai: Dia Mirza has defended her participation in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Diwali awareness campaign after the civic body removed a video featuring her following objections from Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam.
The actor said the message was intended to encourage mindful celebrations and draw attention to pollution as a public-health concern, according to her statement to SCREEN.
What did Dia Mirza say?
Responding to the controversy, Mirza described Diwali as a celebration of light, knowledge and hope. She said her participation was intended to promote healthier celebrations and that efforts to reduce air pollution should be welcomed.
Her response focused on the purpose of the campaign: encouraging people to consider the environmental impact of their celebrations.
Why was the video removed?
The video was part of a BMC campaign encouraging residents to reduce air and noise pollution during Diwali.
On November 1, Satam objected to Mirza’s participation in a post on X, saying that citizens did not need instructions from her on celebrating the festival and referring to the cultural roots of Diwali traditions.
The New Indian Express reported that the BMC removed her video later that day. At the time of its report, civic officials had not responded to requests for comment explaining the decision. The sequence of events is documented in the reporting, but a detailed official explanation from the administration was not available.
Other celebrity campaign videos remained online
The campaign also featured actors Madhuri Dixit and Nishigandha Wad, along with cricketer Ajinkya Rahane.
Their messages remained available on the BMC’s X and Instagram pages when Mirza’s video was removed, according to The New Indian Express. That difference in treatment became a central point in the subsequent debate.
Mirza says she participated without payment
PTI reporting carried by ThePrint said civic officials had approached Mirza for the campaign and that she recorded the appeal voluntarily, without charging a fee.
The report also recorded Mirza’s public clarification that she had not been paid for participating.
Political responses widen the controversy
The removal prompted differing reactions within Mumbai’s political leadership.
According to ThePrint’s PTI report, Mayor Ritu Tawde criticised Mirza’s involvement, while Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi questioned the removal and said he found nothing objectionable in the appeal.
The disagreement has shifted attention from the campaign’s pollution-awareness message to the civic body’s choice of participants and its decision to remove one celebrity’s contribution.
Mirza, meanwhile, has maintained that her involvement was intended to support public awareness and more environmentally mindful celebrations.
