On Dishoom's Radar

From the latest buzz in the music biz to what’s up in the ’woods (both Bolly and Holly), petaDishoom is your source for the latest breaking dhamaka on the newest trends and hottest celebs. And although we hate to brag, we’re going to anyway, because lots of hot stars have been blazing through petaDishoom lately. Speaking of hot, John Abraham is – hands down – the hottest human on the planet. Luckily for us, he’s also one of the kindest, and the cause that’s nearest and dearest to his heart is the plight of animals. Recently, the Bollywood heartthrob went bare-chested for a sizzling PETA print ad with the tagline “No One Wants to Be Caged: Let Birds Fly Free”. John also flew into action for pigs in Goa. After seeing a video of how pigs are cruelly slaughtered in back yards, he fired off a letter to the chief minister of Goa asking him to stop the illegal killings immediately. Never hesitating to stick up for animals, the model-turned-actor had this to say during a recent petaDishoom exclusive: “Animals cannot speak for themselves, so it is up to us to give them a voice and speak for them. Everyone has seen me in a petaDishoom T-shirt and cap, and I use my PETA mug on the sets to help spread awareness on animal protection”.

Hmm … we wonder if having a PETA mug on the set of his movie Water had anything to do with the fact that the movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year. That’s wishful thinking on our part – anyone who has seen the movie knows that John, who attended the Academy Awards ceremony in February, was one of the real reasons behind the nomination. Although the movie, which was written and directed by Deepa Mehta, didn’t win, it did give John a chance to showcase his superb acting skills as Narayan, an “intellectual, Gandhian nationalist” caught up in the sad life of a young widow in traditional 1930s Indian society. An acclaimed actor and ardent animal advocate with abs of steel, massive sex appeal and a heart of gold, John Abraham couldn’t be any more perfect!

Just as passionate about animal rights, international artist and long-time PETA pal Anoushka Shankar recently spoke out against zoos by posing in a beautiful cat suit (designed by famous designer Sandeep Khosla) and draping herself on a branch of a tree while holding a sign reading, “Exotic Animals Belong in the Wild, Not in Zoos”. Renowned for her compassion for animals, Anoushka – who recorded a public service announcement (PSA) about animal suffering with her famous father, Pundit Ravi Shankar – is now trying to raise awareness about the thousands of animals who lead miserable lives in zoos all across India.

And just in case you missed it, Parikrama became a part of music history when they performed with Iron Maiden at the recent EDD-FEST in Bangalore. The concert, which took place on the spectacular grounds of Bangalore’s Palace, marked the first time a major international metal band like Maiden has ever played in India! Playing to a surging crowd of screaming fans, Parikrama rocked the palace! Now they’re prepared to take on the world. We know they will and hope they do, not only because we believe that everyone should listen to one of petaDishoom’s favourite bands, but also because all the members of Parikrama promote animal rights every chance they get. In an exclusive petaDishoom interview, passionate lead singer Nitin Malik pounced on the chance to speak out against poaching, saying, “Please, lock me in a room with a poacher and give me an iron bar, and I will beat the hell out of him. We need to put an end to it. It’s criminal”. And keyboardist Subir Malik recently told us, “I just want to congratulate PETA for the wonderful job they are doing”. He said that he loves animals, adding, “I have about 22 street dogs in my office that I take care of. I wish everybody in this world would be kind to animals and love them. They are all part of us, and we are all in it together”. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Now you know why they’re our “superheroes”.