John Abraham, Pooja Bhatt, Dia Mirza, Sunny Leone, Rajan Shahi and Others Challenge Industry Friends to Take PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge Ahead of World Elephant Day   

For Immediate Release:

10 August 2026

Contact: 

Sanskriti Bansore; [email protected]  

Varulika Dixit; [email protected]  

Mumbai – Ahead of World Elephant Day (12 August), film, TV, ad and other content producers John Abraham, Dia Mirza, Pooja Bhatt, Sunny Leone, Rajan Shahi, Rishina Kandhari and Amin Khan, are calling on their friends and colleagues from the industry to join them in protecting elephants by signing the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India’s (PETA India) Elephant Freedom Pledge and commit to not to use real elephants in their productions. The producers — who are among 25 film, TV, web and advertising industry leaders who have signed the pledge—are challenging their colleagues to pledge to use humane options such as mechanical elephants, cutting-edge computer-generated imagery (CGI) or visual effects instead of live elephants in content through video messages shared with PETA India which will be posted on social media in the lead up to World Elephant Day.   

Video messages from the producers are available upon request.

John Abraham of JA Entertainment challenged his friends from the industry, Dia Mirza of One India Stories LLP challenged Dharma Productions, Sunny Leone of Suncity Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd challenged Karan Kundrra, Rajan Shahi of Director’s Kut Productions challenged his daughter and producer Ishika Shahi, Rishina Kandhari of Rishina Kandhari Films challenged Haider Khan of Haider Khan Films, and Amin Khan of Purple Focus Pvt Ltd challenged Prashant Jha of IPF Communications.   

“I am a proud signatory of PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge. By signing this pledge, I have committed to not using real elephants in my films, series, or advertisements, and to choosing only humane alternatives, such as mechanical elephants, CGI, or VFX, whenever needed. On World Elephant Day, I invite all film, TV, and digital series and advertising creators to sign PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge. I would especially nominate my friends from the industry, because they are responsible, to take this pledge and commit to cruelty-free storytelling,” says PETA India’s honorary director, actor, and producer of JA Entertainment, John Abraham.  

“By signing PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge, I have committed to not using real elephants in my films, series, or advertisements, and to choosing only humane alternatives such as mechanical elephants, CGI, or VFX whenever needed,” says Dia Mirza, who heads production house One India Stories LLP. “On World Elephant Day, I invite all film, TV, and digital series, and advertising creators to sign PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge. I would especially like to nominate my friends at Dharma Productions to take this pledge and commit to cruelty-free storytelling,” she adds.

“I am a proud signatory of PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge. I took this pledge because I commit to never working with a live elephant in anything that I produce, direct, or even act in. On World Elephant Day, I implore more members of my film fraternity to take this pledge and commit to a more humane form of storytelling. Mechanical elephants, CGI, VFX, the options are plenty; use them. Cruelty is not cool. Take the pledge and pass this on,” says actor and director of Fish Eye Network Pooja Bhatt. 

“By signing this pledge, I have committed not using real elephants in my films, series, or advertisements, and to choose only humane alternatives such as mechanical elephants, CGIs, or VFX, or whatever is needed so a real elephant is not used. On World Elephant Day, I invite all film, TV, digital series, and advertising creators to sign PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge,” says founder of Suncity Media and Entertainment Sunny Leone. “I would especially like to nominate my friend Karan Kundrra to take this pledge and to commit to cruelty-free storytelling.” 

“These leaders of the entertainment industry are setting a powerful example by challenging their colleagues to choose compassion over cruelty in creativity,” says PETA India Corporate Affairs Liaison Umang Sharma. “PETA India applauds their commitment to elephant-safe entertainment and urges all film and other content creators to join them by signing the Elephant Freedom Pledge.” 

As PETA India points out, humane options to using live animals are more realistic and accessible than ever. Mechanical elephants are remarkably lifelike and are already used by more than 40 temples in India, thanks to PETA India and other patrons. They can flap their ears, swish their tails, lift their trunks, spray water, and even carry riders. Mechanical elephants have also been spotted in use at a circus, in an advertisement, in a safari, in a wedding, and at a political rally.   

Recently, the Government of Telangana became the first in the country to welcome a mechanical elephant and encourage its use in film shoots and other events to allow real elephants to remain with their families in their natural forest homes. The mechanical elephant, which is kept at Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad, is also available for use via the Telangana Forest Department.  

In nature, elephants live in matriarchal herds, protect one another, and share mothering responsibilities for the herds’ babies. As seen in this video, elephants forced into a life of servitude are often kidnapped from their families in their jungle homes as babies, kept almost constantly chained, and trained through violence and intimidation using ankushes—hooked iron rods. The stress of being controlled and threatened with weapons often cause elephants to lash out, with deadly consequences.  

PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow PETA India on X, Facebook, or Instagram.  

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