During a recent appearance on Soha Ali Khan’s podcast, Dia Mirza recalled an incident where her young son Avyaan confronted a coconut seller for using plastic bag and straws. However, the actor is now receiving severe backlash on social media for her comments.
Dia Mirza, who is also the UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador, was sharing an anecdote from her personal life about minimising use of plastic on Soha’s podcast, when she 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 poor boy 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 kyon lekar aaye hai? hamare ghar mein plastic not allowed. Aap usko plastic se nikalo, usko neeche rakho aur plastic aur straw leke jao (Bhaiya, why have you brought these in plastic? Plastic is not allowed in our home. Take out the coconuts from the bag, and take back the plastic and straw.” Soha Ali Khan, meanwhile, applauded Dia's son for the confidence to confront an adult.
The clip has now gone viral on social media, with many netizens criticisng the actor for the alleged tonedeafness of her statement and oblivion of her privilege. An X user, with the username ‘HokiePrachi,’ commented, “This is what insulated privilege looks like.” Another X user, Wordi25, replied, “Kudos on teaching a child to be unnecessarily rude to a service provider.”
Incidentally, Dia Mirza was also the target of heavy criticism a few days ago for her comments on capitalism and climate change, and how patriarchy plays a big role in it. Incidentally, both these comments were made during the same podcast appearance.
