Mumbai, September 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Animal rights activist and former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi has urged filmmakers and actors to avoid depicting cruelty towards animals in films, saying cinema has a strong influence on public attitudes and behaviour.
Gandhi, who had earlier announced that the second edition of the CineKind Awards will be presented on October 4, said filmmakers and actors have a responsibility to ensure that scenes involving animals do not normalise or justify cruelty.
Launched last year by the Film Federation of India (FFI) and People for Animals (PFA), CineKind is a platform dedicated to celebrating kindness in cinema, with a particular focus on compassion towards animals.
Gandhi said she had involved Bollywood actors in the initiative because audiences tend to follow their behaviour and public example.
Recalling the situation during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, she said animal cruelty during film shoots was once more common. She said subsequent legal reforms required films involving animals to be presented before the Animal Welfare Board of India, a process that began in 2000 and led to significant changes in the industry.
Gandhi said incidents of illegal practices such as keeping birds in cages or throwing animals from heights had largely disappeared. She added that films now carry a declaration stating that no animal was harmed during filming.
However, she said a small number of films still manage to depict or involve animal cruelty, which she described as unacceptable.
“The question is not just what was done to a single animal—the real issue is that films completely influence and change public attitude,” Gandhi said, warning that viewers may consider harmful treatment acceptable when they see a popular film star engaging in it.
She also called on actors who advocate animal rights to adopt veganism themselves, saying people should authentically stand for the values they promote.
Gandhi further called for a ban on the consumption of restricted animals, particularly in Nagaland.
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