Actors Raise Alarm as Delhi’s Pollution Worsens

At a press event for her upcoming film Tere Ishk Mein, actress Kriti Sanon raised serious concerns about Delhi’s worsening air quality. “I don’t think saying anything will help. It is getting worse and worse. I’m from Delhi, and I know what it used to be. Something needs to be done, otherwise we will reach a point where we won’t be able to see the person standing next to us,” she said.

Kriti is not alone. Several film producers and actors are increasingly reconsidering Delhi as a shooting destination due to the city’s hazardous pollution levels.

Earlier this month, Telugu star Rashmika Mandanna was scheduled to shoot Cocktail 2, directed by Homi Adajania, in Delhi. However, the long schedule — set to begin on November 12 — has now been postponed. The decision, according to sources, was made after assessing the city’s deteriorating respiratory conditions. The delay has pushed the project behind schedule.

This is not the first time Delhi’s pollution has disrupted film shoots. In November 2019, the team of Karan Johar’s Dostana 2, starring Kartik Aaryan, had to halt filming because of severe smog.

Jaya Bachchan, who spends several months each year in Delhi for parliamentary duties, acknowledges the persistent challenge. “It gets worse around Diwali with the firecrackers, but even the rest of the year is not easy anymore. Why point fingers at Delhi alone? It’s just as bad in other metros. Random demolitions, constructions, illegal skyscrapers — the cities have become a concrete jungle.”

Actor R. Madhavan echoes her concerns. “The air in Delhi is unbreathable, I agree. But other cities are catching up fast. We need to act swiftly, or the oxygen mask will become as mandatory an accessory as the phone or the iPod.”

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta offers a stark final note: “We live in toxic times. No one knows what kills the common man first—the poison in the air or the indifference that lets it linger. The city coughs, the powerful yawn, and the rest of us disappear.”