Film Star Madhavan Goes Behind Bars In Animal Protection Ad

For Immediate Release:
12 June 2002

Contact:
Dawn Carr – 020 735 79229

London — The newest ad put out by PETA India, shot in Mumbai, has just been released in India and features Madhavan, the 28-year-old star of Run, Dil Vil Pyar Wyar, and Alaipayuthey, portraying his most challenging role yet: that of an animal crouched in a small wire cage with a look of despair on his face. Shot by ace photographer Atul Kasbekar, the ad encourages the actor’s legions of fans to relate to those on the plate and is captioned, “Liberate Your Diet: Go Veg.”

“By no means was I comfortable during the photo shoot crouched in that small cage,” explains Madhavan, a longtime vegetarian. ”But what were a few fleeting moments of discomfort for me, as opposed to the suffering that animals raised for food are forced to endure from the time they are born? It’s simple: I love animals, so I don’t eat them.”

Chickens raised for food on today’s factory farms are genetically manipulated to add flesh to their skeletons at the fastest possible rate. As a result, after just a few weeks, their legs and hearts are so overburdened by their excessive weight that they can barely reach food and water, and many suffer heart attacks. Finally, they are crammed onto lorries for a nightmarish ride to the abattoir—without food or water—and commonly suffer broken bones. Hens are kept in cages so crowded that they can’t even stretch their wings and are often painfully debeaked without anaesthesia, using a searing hot blade.

“Animals are not the only victims of meat consumption; consumers also pay a high price in the form of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and many cancers,” cautions Madhavan. ”A healthful and compassionate plant-based diet is better for all of us.”

Among the many vegetarian celebrities speaking out against cruelty to animals in meat production worldwide are Sir Paul McCartney, Kim Basinger, Bryan Adams, Anil Kumble, Pamela Anderson, Christy Turlington, Moby, Amitabh Bachchan, Alicia Silverstone, Juhi Chawla, Natalie Portman, and Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire.

For more information, and to view the new ad featuring Madhavan, please visit www.PETAIndia.org.