Recently, Dia Mirza has been in the news as the actress faced backlash for her comment that it’s men who are responsible for climate change and later, she also described how her son Avyaan scolded the coconot water seller for delivering it in a plastic bag. Now amidst the backlash, Richa Chadha has come out in support of Dia Mirza. The video, taken from Soha Ali Khan‘s podcast, sparked debate online, with several users calling the incident “entitled arrogance” and targeting both Dia and her son.Responding to the backlash on Thursday, Richa shared a detailed post on X, suggesting that the outrage reflected a larger trend of public figures being attacked whenever they speak on social issues. She questioned why actors are expected to remain silent, saying such reactions make it clear why many avoid expressing their opinions.Reposting a note by another user, Richa wrote, **“Y’all wonder why actors don’t speak up ? (Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!) Apart from the routine haranguing by the usual, brain-dead suspects, there’s also this! Of course punch up yaar, actors ki mental health ka kya hai. Aaye din suicides kar ke salacious news cycles ko feed bhi karna to artist ka kartavya hona chahiye (What about mental health of actors? They need to feed the news cycles right?) Haina? Women with privilege will be shamed if say anything outside the syllabus. Lipstick, bikini, GRWM, OOTD, make-up haul et al (sic).”**She also defended Dia’s environmental work, addressing claims circulating on social media that the actor advocates sustainability while allegedly owning a Jaguar. Richa dismissed those accusations and instead pointed to Dia’s long-standing involvement in climate-focused initiatives.She added, “Just FYI, @deespeak is involved with a bamboo paper company, (means no trees are cut to manufacture paper), and WITHOUT, a plastic recycling start up that makes very cool sunglasses. She’s also produced a lovely short on the climate, it screens at PardaFaash, Mumbai, tomorrow 3.07.26. Check these things out, because if you can bully a 5 year old, you can also run a basic google search na.”Richa further shared personal examples of Dia’s commitment to environmental causes, saying the actor had inspired her own sustainable practices. She also refuted the claim that Dia owned a Jaguar, arguing that even if public figures have made mistakes in the past, it should not diminish the positive work they continue to do.In another part of her note, Richa wrote, “She gifted me 1100 trees as a wedding gift and inspired me to gift trees to the Press in turn when my own baby girl was born. See photos? She doesn’t own a Jaguar LOL, I have only seen 2 electric cars ever. And if she was imperfect in the past, oh please forgive her dear kind lord, show mercy! Dia does more for ecological restoration in a day – than YT bloggers (who could well give Perez Hilton a run for his money) or arguably you – do in a whole year. Those who want to do good in the world, do so at a great personal cost. So please discourage them, troll them properly from that super comfy armchair. Call them hypocrites because the urgent work today, right now, is to shame them.”For those not in the know, the backlash began after Dia recounted an incident from her home during an appearance on Soha Ali Khan’s podcast while talking about raising her son with environmental awareness.Dia had said, “The coconut wala delivered the coconut and nothing burns my blood more than coconut water arriving in plastic bags with plastic straws. So this boy, bichara, he didn’t know whom he was delivering. So Avyaan opened the door and he puts his hand on his hips and says, ‘Bhaiya plastic me lekar aaye hai, hamari ghar mein plastic not allowed, aap usko plastic se nikalo, usko neeche rakho aur plastic aur straw leke jao (Why have you got this in plastic? Plastic is not allowed in our home, put it down and take the plastic away).”
