Dhara Vora Sabhnani (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 10, 2019)

If announcements to go meat-free have been clogging up your social media feeds, it’s because this is clearly not some transient fad. Not only is vegetarianism perceived as a healthy path, the diet is widely viewed as the most ethically-conscious choice to make. Celebrities who have jumped on the bandwagon share their experiences.

Varun Sharma
The Fukrey actor is known for his comic timing, but when it comes to his focus on health, actor Varun Sharma is dead serious. Sharma turned vegan three years ago, when he felt the first bites of conscience. “These days, when we’ve learned so much about co-existing with nature, killing animals for food just seemed like a poor choice — for one's health, as well as the environment,” says Sharma. “No civilised society can progress without coming around to a means of co-existing in harmony with the environment.” Sharma tells us that he just decided to quit one day, and then stuck to that decision — “It was as simple as that” he says.

The choice affected his fitness levels, the actor tells us, but only for the better. “I feel more energised, and have a clearer conscience too,” he says. Naturally, he says, he does not miss meat. “It’s the 21st century. There’s no dearth of alternatives to meat,” says Sharma.


Richa Chadha
Though Chadha has been a vegetarian for years now, the actor decided to quit animal-origin products altogether fairly recently.

“Though my family’s Punjabi — a group that’s widely perceived as being strictly non-veg — our household was vegetarian,” says Chadha. “And, we always had pets growing up, so, as a child, I struggled to understand why dogs were so loved by all, yet people had no qualms about killing fish, chicken and goats for food.”

The actor, who turned vegan about two-and-a-half years ago, when she discovered how cruel the dairy industry is, tells us that even her family members have embraced veganism now. “I don’t know how many people realise that cows are kept pregnant practically through their lifespans so they can provide milk for us — and that calves are dragged away from their mothers, so that the milk that is rightfully theirs may be sold for profit. The whole process is incredibly cold and heartless,” says Chadha.

The actor says she felt lighter after she quit animal-origin foods, “both physically, and at heart.”

She’s also convinced that her skin and hair benefitted from the dietary change, which, she says, posed its share of challenges. “I have to admit, it was difficult for me to give up paneer and curd — parantha and dahi was a staple in our home. But the foods you choose to eat are a matter of habit, like any other — and it’s just a question of deciding to change your bad habits at the end of the day,” she says.


Athiya Shetty
“I don’t know how long this will last, but I feel healthier and am eating cleaner,” says Shetty, who turned vegetarian in January this year. “I think my body needed some sort of a change, and I’m loving it,” she says. Though she’s eaten meat all her life, Shetty says, “I haven’t missed meat so far.”

Her decision, she says, has shocked her family though. “Sundays were always ‘lal maas’ days at home, but now my diet has to be accommodated in the menu, too,” says Shetty, who is taking one step at a time, and isn’t committing to a lifetime of veggies as yet. “I’m still testing the waters,” she says.

Sunny Leone
It was an international event that convinced Sunny Leone to switch teams — the actor was horrified by the Lychee and Dog Meat Festival that takes place in China annually. “I was very disturbed when I learnt what the animals are put through,” says Leone. “They are burned alive, boiled alive, beaten, their feet are cut off…many dogs are shoved into tiny crates. I started crying when I saw the videos,” says Leone, adding, “I couldn’t even bring myself to look at meat after that,” says the actor, who is also a mother of three. 

After piling on eight kilos for Shakeela, Richa Chadha develops athletic frame for Panga
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 14, 2018)

After wrapping up the first schedule of Panga last week, Kangana Ranaut and Richa Chadha are training in kabaddi before the next stint in February. Besides picking up the sport, Chadha, who apparently plays a rising kabaddi player in the Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari-directed sports drama, has to gain muscle to attain the toned physique of an athlete. that is proving to be an uphill task for the actor who had recently piled on eight kilos for the Shakeela biopic.

“My body is complaining because of the extremities I have put it through. I had to gain weight for Shakeela, and now, I have to lose it,” begins Chadha, whose daily schedule now includes kabaddi sessions and intense workouts. “I have been training at two different fitness centres — while one includes functional training to gain muscle, the other regimen is to build strength. It is challenging when you’re working on a film where you’re required to undergo a physical transformation. But as an actor, one has to be a shape-shifter.”

Naturally, the physical transformation also entails dietary modifications. “I have upped my protein intake. I am vegan, so my diet can’t include tofu.”

On the kabaddi court, the film’s team is training with national level players that reportedly include Gauri Wadekar and Vishwas More. “It has been amazing to work with professional players. I used to play the sport back in school, which has come in handy. Ashwiny is thorough, and makes us want to put in that extra effort to look convincing as athletes.”

Richa Chadha on her struggle with an eating disorder and body-shaming
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 25, 2016)