John Abraham, R Balki, Daggubati Suresh Babu, Dia Mirza, Nikkhil Advani, Farah Khan Pooja Bhatt and Other Filmmakers Sign PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge for Elephant-Safe Content  

For Immediate Release:

11 November 2025

Contact: 

Sanskriti Bansore; [email protected]  

Anushka Yadav; [email protected]  

Mumbai – After hearing from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) that elephants used for films, televisions, advertisements and other content are forcibly separated from their families, endure abusive training methods, and chained when not in use, 22 film and other content production companies have signed PETA India’s Elephant Freedom Pledge, promising to leave real elephants out of their productions. They include those associated with John Abraham, R Balki and Gauri Shinde, Daggubati Suresh Babu, Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni, Nikkhil Advani, Arfi Laamba, Farah Khan, Pooja Bhatt, Dia Mirza, Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, Sunny Leone and Daniel Weber, and others.   

Instead of using live elephants on set, PETA India encourages the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), visual effects, and innovative mechanical elephants. These elephants are remarkably lifelike and are already used by more than 20 temples in south 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. 

“Elephants are highly intelligent, social animals who need to be with their families in nature for their well-being, but those forced to perform for film, television, advertisements and other content are denied everything that is natural and important to them and are controlled with violence,” says PETA India Corporate Affairs Liaison, Umang Sharma. “PETA India urges all forms of film and other content creators to join these stars in signing the Elephant Freedom Pledge on behalf of their production companies. We also remind audiences to refuse to support entertainment involving cruelty to animals.” 

As seen in this video, elephants are 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 threatened with weapons and subjected to bright lights can cause elephants to lash out, with deadly consequences.  

Elephant Freedom Pledge Signatories Include: 

  1. John Abraham – JA Entertainment
  2. R Balki and Gauri Shinde – Hope Productions
  3. Pooja Bhatt – Fish Eye Network
  4. Dia Mirza – One India Stories LLP
  5. Daggubati Suresh Babu – Suresh Productions
  6. Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni – SVF Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
  7. Arfi Laamba – Bombay Berlin Film Productions, LLP
  8. Farah Khan
  9. Sunny Leone and Daniel Weber – Suncity Media and Entertainment
  10. Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal – Pushing Buttons Studios
  11. Nikkhil Advani and Monisha Advani – Emmay Entertainment
  12. Rajan Shahi – Director’s Kut Productions
  13. Onir – Anticlock Films
  14. Puja Bedi – Tridev Entertainment
  15. Kabir Sadanand – FROG Unlimited
  16. Mita Vasisht – MMV Films
  17. Sani Ghose Ray – Acropoliis Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
  18. Niharica Raizada – Raizada Entertainments
  19. Kirti Kulhari
  20. Amin Khan – Purple Focus Pvt. Ltd.
  21. Payal Sodhi – PlanBWorks Entertainment
  22. Vivek Pant

In 2022, PETA India honored Fish Eye Network director Pooja Bhatt with its Compassionate Film Production Company Award after making history as the first film director in India to pledge to never use any live animals. Director Richie Mehta won PETA India’s Tech, Not Terror Award for using cutting-edge CGI instead of live animals in his series Poacher about an elephant ivory-poaching ring in India.  

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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