Dia Mirza Plastic Bag Controversy: Richa Chadha Backs Actress Amid Backlash Over Her Son’s Behaviour, Says ‘She Gifted Me 1,100 Trees’
Richa Chadha fiercely defends Dia Mirza against online trolls targeting her 5-year-old son's plastic remarks, revealing Mirza's thoughtful wedding gift of 1100 trees. Read on to know more about the actress' ongoing environmental advocacy, her previous encounters with online criticism.
Bollywood has once again found itself at the centre of an online storm, with actress Dia Mirza becoming the latest target of social media trolls. The controversy erupted following a clip from Soha Ali Khan’s podcast where Mirza recounted an incident involving her five-year-old son, Avyaan Azaad Rekhi, expressing his disapproval of plastic packaging. In response to the wave of criticism, fellow actress Richa Chadha has vehemently defended Mirza, lambasting the online vitriol and disclosing a personal detail about Mirza's profound commitment to environmental causes: a unique wedding gift of 1100 trees. Dia Mirza Responds to Trolling Over Her Remark About Men Being Responsible for Climate Change (See Post).
Richa Chadha Reacts to Trolls Targeting Dia Mirza
Richa Chadha took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her dismay over the incessant trolling directed at Dia Mirza and her young son. Chadha questioned the public's expectation of celebrities, stating, "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!"
She further highlighted the often-overlooked mental health struggles faced by public figures, adding, "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."
In a powerful testament to Dia Mirza's environmental dedication, Chadha revealed, "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." Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal legally married in 2020 under the Special Marriage Act, celebrating their union with family and friends in October 2022. Their daughter was welcomed into the world on July 16, 2024. Chadha also addressed unfounded rumours about Mirza's lifestyle, clarifying, "She doesn't own a Jaguar LOL, I have only seen 2 electric cars ever."
Richa Chadha Defends Dia Mirza
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… https://t.co/HuTslyx3jY pic.twitter.com/Pk1iuoBm2c
— RichaChadha (@RichaChadha) July 2, 2026
Richa Chadha On Dia Mirza's Statement on Plastic and Her Environmental Advocacy
The recent online backlash stemmed from Dia Mirza's appearance on Soha Ali Khan's podcast, where she shared an anecdote about her son, Avyaan. Mirza recounted how Avyaan, then five years old, confronted a delivery worker who brought coconut water in plastic bags. "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," Mirza narrated.
She added, "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)." While intended to showcase a child's early environmental awareness, the clip was met with accusations of "entitled arrogance" by some netizens.
Dia Mirza Talks About Her 5-Year-Old Son Schooling Delivery Boy
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Richa Chadha emphasised that such criticism often overlooks Mirza's substantial and long-standing work in environmental conservation. She highlighted that Dia Mirza is actively involved with a bamboo paper company, which aims to produce paper without cutting down trees, and a plastic recycling startup, Without®, that innovates by creating products like sunglasses from recycled plastic. Furthermore, Mirza has produced a short film on climate change, which is scheduled to screen at PardaFaash, Mumbai, tomorrow, July 3, 2026. Dia Mirza Says ‘Patriarchy’ Is the Cause of Climate Change in Viral Podcast; Netizens React, Say ‘She Has a PhD From Oxford Dictionary’ (Watch Video).
Dia Mirza, who married businessman Vaibhav Rekhi on February 15, 2021, has been a vocal environmentalist and has previously faced online trolling for her stance on climate change and plastic use. In February 2020, she was trolled after breaking down during a speech on climate change at the Jaipur Literature Festival, and in March 2016, for a tweet about water wastage during Holi. More recently, in June 2026, she clarified remarks linking patriarchal systems to climate change after facing criticism. Her consistent efforts, as underscored by Chadha, often go unacknowledged by online detractors.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 02, 2026 05:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
