Making a "sincere and urgent" appeal to her collegues and compatriots in the film industry, Zeenat Aman requested to avoid bringing wild animals on set.
The veteran actress Zeenat Aman made an "urgent and sincere" appeal to her film industry colleagues to avoid bringig wild animals on sets in an impassioned post on Instagram on Friday, May 3. The Hare Rama Hare Krishna actress penned a lengthy note, in which she also shared what made her teary-eyed when she visited a film set recently.
"I was brought to tears recently when I arrived on set to find an elderly, domestic elephant on the scene. She was standing on the burning asphalt, bejewelled and bedecked...and she stayed there all day as the cameras rolled. I was bound by contract to do my job, but I am absolutely guilt-ridden that such a majestic animal suffered for my job and your entertainment", Zeenat wrote.
She added, "The plight of animals, both domestic and wild, has always distressed me. I do not believe that any wild animal belongs in captivity, especially not an animal as perceptive, intelligent and emotional as an elephant. From the little I have learnt about this species, I know that they are highly sentient, social animals. To keep them in captivity is to willingly support cruelty."
Sharing her request for her colleagues, Aman stated, "It is my sincere and urgent appeal to my colleagues and compatriots in the film industry to avoid bringing wild animals onto set at all costs. We are so lucky that India hosts the majority of the Asian elephant population in the world, and that this species is our National Heritage Animal. We are also blessed to have numerous organisations in India that work towards the welfare and conservation of this incredible animal. I am sharing a few resources from such organisations on my stories. I will be elated if you peruse them."
Sharing a photo of her standing with a few elephant showpieces and a photo of news piece from 1974 when she and Dev Anand helped raise Rs 94,000 for WWF, Zeenat further added, "My concern for wildlife is an old story - please swipe to see a snippet from 1974 - but it is only now that I am in a position to make more concerted appeals on these matters. And since I could not bear to pose with the beautiful elephant that was subject to the chaos of our set, here is a picture of me with ‘my’ elephants that I have collected over the years."
"In honour of this sentiment, today I would like to hear about your favourite wildlife encounters! Please leave a comment, and remember that the operative word here is “wild”. No comments about captive wild animals please! This includes performing monkeys, bottle-feeding tigers, talking parrots and all the rest. Signing off with hope for a kinder world where non-human species are afforded the dignity they deserve", she concluded.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Zeenat Aman will be making her comeback with Bun Tikki. Bankrolled by Jio Studios and celebrated fashion designer Manish Malhotra's banner Stage 5 Production, the film also stars Shabana Azmi and Abhay Deol.
READ | Made in Rs 16 crore, this film earned Rs 408 crore, broke several box office records, its climax surprised everyone
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