Dia Mirza's Diwali video row explained: Why BMC deleted Bollywood actress' pollution-free video

Dia Mirza is one of the leading actresses in Bollywood. She often takes over the internet with her charm, acting skills and candid opinions. The actress has recently been embroiled in a controversy after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reportedly deleted a video featuring her following objections from Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam.

BMC removed Dia Mirza's Diwali video

In the video, Dia Mirza was seen appealing to citizens not to burst firecrackers and to avoid contributing to noise pollution. Reacting to the video, BJP Mumbai president Ameet Satam tagged the BMC and wrote, "We don't need lessons on how to celebrate #Diwali from @deespeak. Our traditions are deeply rooted in our culture."




Following this, several reports, including one by NDTV, stated that the video featuring Dia Mirza had allegedly been removed from the BMC's social media accounts. However, there has been no official explanation so far.

All you need to know about Dia Mirza's Diwali video controversy

For those who don't know, Dia Mirza was not the only celebrity roped in for the campaign against firecrackers. As part of the initiative, the civic body brought on board several celebrities, including Dia Mirza, Madhuri Dixit and cricketer Ajinkya Rahane, to record video messages urging people to celebrate a pollution-free festival.

Screenshot of the now-deleted Dia Mirza post:



However, Satam criticised Dia Mirza's inclusion in the campaign, objecting to what he described as outsiders offering lessons on how to celebrate Diwali.

Apart from the BJP leader, Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC also commented on the issue. She told PTI, "Diwali is clearly the festival of lights. And Dia Mirza, whose name has a 'Diya' in it, should understand that there is a certain kind of cultural identity associated with Diwali. Nobody is propagating pollution or bursting crackers, but we need to introspect ourselves. We don't need a lesson from others on what we should be doing as Mumbaikars."




As cited by NDTV, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale also objected to the message by Dia Mirza and said, "Dia Mirza is a film actress and belongs to the Muslim community, but this is not a matter of any particular community. The Constitution grants every religion the right to celebrate its festivals. Just as Hindus respect and participate in Eid, Hindu community celebrates Diwali. If firecrackers are not burst, Diwali may lose some of its significance, though we must also be concerned about excessive pollution."

Moreover, TOI reached out to Ameet Satam, who clarified that he had not asked the BMC to take down any post.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Dia Mirza was last seen in Netflix's courtroom drama Ikka, alongside Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna.