Richa Chadha tears into Dia Mirza trolls, says critics can 'bully a 5-year-old'
Richa Chadha defended Dia Mirza after a podcast clip about her son Avyaan triggered online trolling. Her response shifted attention to the backlash, the criticism of a five-year-old, and Dia's environmental advocacy.
Actor Richa Chadha has backed Dia Mirza after the latter was trolled online over a podcast clip in which she spoke about her five-year-old son Avyaan objecting to coconut water being delivered in plastic bags. The clip from Soha Ali Khan's podcast went viral, with several social media users criticising Dia and her son and describing the incident as 'entitled arrogance.'
Amid the backlash, Richa on Thursday posted a long note on X, arguing that the criticism reflected a broader pattern of online hostility towards public figures who speak on social issues. She also questioned why actors are often discouraged from expressing their views, saying the backlash itself explains why many choose to stay silent.
Reposting a note by a 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).”
Richa then turned to the criticism directed specifically at Dia's environmental advocacy. Referring to claims on social media that Dia speaks about sustainability while allegedly owning a Jaguar, Richa dismissed the allegation and instead highlighted the actor's work on climate-related 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 (sic).”
She went on to cite personal examples of Dia's environmental commitments, saying the actor had influenced her own approach to sustainability while also rejecting claims that Dia owned a luxury Jaguar. Richa argued that even if public figures are imperfect, that should not overshadow the work they continue to do.
In another part of the 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."
What did Dia actually say?
The online criticism stemmed from an anecdote Dia shared during her appearance on Soha Ali Khan's podcast while discussing how environmental consciousness is encouraged in her household.
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 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).”
The story was met with appreciation from Soha Ali Khan, who praised the child's confidence in voicing his concern.
Responding to the anecdote on the podcast, Soha praised Avyaan and said, “Imagine standing up to somebody who is an adult and to have that conviction.”
The episode also comes just weeks after Dia's comments linking climate change with patriarchy sparked debate online. In those remarks, she argued that both stem from systems centred on extraction and domination rather than care and balance.
Last month, Dia had also spoken about climate change in remarks that sparked discussion on social media. She had said that climate change and patriarchy are deeply connected, and linked both issues to systems that value extraction over care, domination over balance, and short-term gain over long-term well-being.
Richa's defence has now shifted the conversation from the viral podcast clip itself to the nature of online criticism surrounding public figures, particularly when they speak about environmental or social causes. It has also brought renewed attention to Dia's environmental work, which Richa repeatedly cited while defending her against accusations of hypocrisy.
Actor Richa Chadha has backed Dia Mirza after the latter was trolled online over a podcast clip in which she spoke about her five-year-old son Avyaan objecting to coconut water being delivered in plastic bags. The clip from Soha Ali Khan's podcast went viral, with several social media users criticising Dia and her son and describing the incident as 'entitled arrogance.'
Amid the backlash, Richa on Thursday posted a long note on X, arguing that the criticism reflected a broader pattern of online hostility towards public figures who speak on social issues. She also questioned why actors are often discouraged from expressing their views, saying the backlash itself explains why many choose to stay silent.
Reposting a note by a 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).”
Richa then turned to the criticism directed specifically at Dia's environmental advocacy. Referring to claims on social media that Dia speaks about sustainability while allegedly owning a Jaguar, Richa dismissed the allegation and instead highlighted the actor's work on climate-related 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 (sic).”
She went on to cite personal examples of Dia's environmental commitments, saying the actor had influenced her own approach to sustainability while also rejecting claims that Dia owned a luxury Jaguar. Richa argued that even if public figures are imperfect, that should not overshadow the work they continue to do.
In another part of the 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."
What did Dia actually say?
The online criticism stemmed from an anecdote Dia shared during her appearance on Soha Ali Khan's podcast while discussing how environmental consciousness is encouraged in her household.
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 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).”
The story was met with appreciation from Soha Ali Khan, who praised the child's confidence in voicing his concern.
Responding to the anecdote on the podcast, Soha praised Avyaan and said, “Imagine standing up to somebody who is an adult and to have that conviction.”
The episode also comes just weeks after Dia's comments linking climate change with patriarchy sparked debate online. In those remarks, she argued that both stem from systems centred on extraction and domination rather than care and balance.
Last month, Dia had also spoken about climate change in remarks that sparked discussion on social media. She had said that climate change and patriarchy are deeply connected, and linked both issues to systems that value extraction over care, domination over balance, and short-term gain over long-term well-being.
Richa's defence has now shifted the conversation from the viral podcast clip itself to the nature of online criticism surrounding public figures, particularly when they speak about environmental or social causes. It has also brought renewed attention to Dia's environmental work, which Richa repeatedly cited while defending her against accusations of hypocrisy.
