Actor Jackie Shroff responds to being declared the most beautiful vegetarian of 2023 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India (alongside actor Zeenat Aman) in signature ‘bhidu’ fashion.

“Pehli baar kisi ne life mein most beautiful bola, mujhe bahut achcha laga. Maine apna chehra mirror mein wapas se dekha, ki kahan se beautiful lagta hoon main yaar,” laughs Shroff, who was recently seen in the slice-of-life film Mast Mein Rehne Ka (2023), adding, “I think they meant that the work I’ve done is beautiful. I never expected that such an award would come my way, but thanks to PETA for giving me the honour. There are many people like me but they chose me, what do I say.”

Lately, the actor’s rise in the pop discourse as a congenial, plant-gifting culinary guru has been noteworthy. He credits his mum for his vegetarian lifestyle. “Jab se mujhe yaad hai main vegetarian hi hoon. Jo mujhe apni maa ke haath ka khaana achcha lagta tha, aaj bhi wahi khaana khaata hoon. Zyada khaane ki aadat nahin hai, din mein ek hi baar khaata hoon. If I feel like it, I eat fruits and I mostly drink sattu,” says Shroff, adding that he finds the vegetarian diet easy on the digestion.

Does he aim to inspire fans to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle in any way? “I don’t want someone to preach this and I don’t want to go and tell people ki non-veg khaana band karo. Mujhe dekh kar agar kisi ko lagta hai ki yeh kha kar bhi aap healthy reh sakte ho, then I would feel good,” he adds.

Elaborating on his philosophy, the Atithi Bhooto Bhava and Phone Bhoot (2022) actor says, “It’s not just about being vegetarian, but agar koi stray dikh gaya, unhein utha ke help kar dena, there are many things that one can do. I like petting animals — be it cows, dogs, cats, goats or hens. Jab main inki aankhon mein dekhta hoon, mujhe pyaar aata hai unke liye. No one has the time to look into their eyes because everyone is busy looking at their phones,” he wraps up.