For Immediate Release:
17 September 2003
Contact:
Anuradha Sawhney 98201 22602
Mumbai – Legendary film hero Amitabh Bachchan and Czech-born
supermodel Yana Gupta have won PETA India’s 2003 ‘Hottest
Vegetarian Alive’ contest. Bachchan retained his crown from
last year, edging out actor Richard Gere, top model John Abraham,
southern heartthrob Madhavan, industrialist Anil Ambani and cricketer
Anil Kumble. President Abdul Kalam was a very popular nominee, and
he came a close second in the running.
First-time winner Yana Gupta finished ahead of Liv Tyler, Shania Twain,
Pamela Anderson and last year’s winner, Esha Deol, in the online
contest, which drew over 37,000 total votes at PETAIndia.com. Both
winners will receive a special plaque from PETA in recognition of
their compassionate lifestyles. Lord of the Rings star Orlando
Bloom, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow finished in the top 10 as well.
Yana, whose healthful diet also excludes all dairy products, has captured
India’s heart since she settled here. The Bollywood newcomer
has been modelling since she was 16 and has also lived in Milan, Paris
and Vienna. Yana, who attributes her beautiful complexion to her diet,
said that she was honoured to learn the news of her win. ‘If
others learn about the benefits of a vegetarian diet as a result of
this, then this contest will have many winners’, she said, adding
that ‘being paired with Mr Bachchan was great, especially considering
that he’s who I would vote for’.
Upon learning of his win last year, Amitabh faxed a thank-you note
to the PETA staff, saying, ‘I am happy to have been voted a
leader in your contest. … I am a vegetarian by choice and out
of purely personal inclination’. Bachchan’s portrayal
of a rebellious, formidable character in many of his more than 140
films reflects the masculine image and lean, muscular strength of
bullocks and stallions, who are also natural vegetarians. The tall,
lean actor, whose classics include Zanjeer and Deewar,
has too much respect for himself to poison his body with the fat,
cholesterol and pathogens found in animal flesh.
Why are so many hotties ‘vegging out’ these days? For
animals (cows, chickens and buffaloes suffer horribly at the hands
of the meat industry), for the environment (the meat trade is the
single greatest polluter on the planet) and for their health (meaty
diets promote cancer, heart disease and diabetes, all of which plague
Indians) – not to mention that vegetarians are noticeably slimmer
and trimmer than their flesh-eating counterparts.
‘If you care about animals, your health, the planet and even
your looks, a vegetarian diet is the only way to go!’ says PETA
India’s Anuradha Sawhney.
For more information on going vegetarian, visit www.PETAIndia.com.
