Deepika Padukone Expresses Concern Over Mumbai's Alarming AQI, Urges Authorities To Take Action
Deepika Padukone flagged the alarming AQI of 153 in Mumbai recently, urging BMC to take immediate action against the rising pollution.
Mumbai woke up to a blanket of smog across several parts of the city on Thursday, significantly reducing visibility and raising concerns about air quality. Among those speaking out was Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who voiced alarm over the rising pollution levels and urged authorities to take immediate action to safeguard citizens’ health. As the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Mumbai spiked on Thursday, Deepika highlighted the issue on social media.
ALSO READ | Aamir Khan Opens Up On Mumbai's Rising Pollution While Participating In Marathon
She shared a screenshot on her Instagram Stories showing a map of India’s west coast, where Mumbai’s AQI reading stood at 153. Another map indicated pollution levels across several areas of the metropolitan region.
Expressing concern, the Bollywood actress wrote, “This city (& its children) are choking! How is this okay!?” She also tagged the city’s civic authorities, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and its health department, calling on them to take urgent steps to address the situation.
Check out Deepika Padukone’s Instagram Story here:
Reports later indicated that Mumbai’s AQI had reached 159, placing it in the ‘unhealthy’ category.
ALSO READ | Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone Steal The Show At Friends’ New York Wedding. See Pics
Deepika Padukone is not the only celebrity to raise the issue. Earlier, actresses Saiyami Kher and Richa Chadha had also spoken out about the city’s deteriorating air quality. Saiyami shared a personal reflection on Instagram, recalling how she began running along Carter Road a decade ago and how the ocean breeze once made her fall in love with both the city and her morning runs.
She said that she now wears a mask while running because of the pollution, describing the experience as eerily reminiscent of the pandemic – except that this time, it is the air itself that poses a danger.
Richa Chadha also weighed in on the issue, calling the worsening AQI levels a “manmade tragedy.” She expressed disappointment over the lack of strong voices addressing the crisis publicly. Mumbai’s air quality has reportedly been a growing concern since February.
Meanwhile, on the professional front, Deepika Padukone will next be seen in Siddharth Anand’s upcoming film ‘King’. The highly anticipated project stars Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role, alongside Suhana Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Saurabh Shukla and Abhishek Bachchan.
The film will mark Deepika and Shah Rukh’s sixth collaboration after successful films such as ‘Om Shanti Om’, ‘Chennai Express’, ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Jawan’. ‘King’ is scheduled to release in theatres on December 24.
Deepika also has Atlee’s upcoming project ‘AA22 A6’ in the pipeline. The yet-untitled sci-fi action film stars Allu Arjun in the lead role and is currently under production, with a tentative release planned for 2027.
Meanwhile, Deepika was earlier attached to Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film ‘Spirit’, but she reportedly exited the project after her demand for an eight-hour work shift and a share in the film’s profits did not align with the makers’ plans. She will also not be part of the ongoing shoot for the sequel to ‘Kalki 2898 AD’, which is currently under production.
