Amitabh Bachchan And Yana Gupta Voted ‘Hottest Vegetarians Alive’

For Immediate Release:
17 September 2003

Contact:
Anuradha Sawhney 98201 22602

Mumbai – Legendary film hero Amitabh Bachchan and Czech-born supermodel Yana Gupta have won PETA India’s 2003 ‘Hottest Vegetarian Alive’ contest. Bachchan retained his crown from last year, edging out actor Richard Gere, top model John Abraham, southern heartthrob Madhavan, industrialist Anil Ambani and cricketer Anil Kumble. President Abdul Kalam was a very popular nominee, and he came a close second in the running.

First-time winner Yana Gupta finished ahead of Liv Tyler, Shania Twain, Pamela Anderson and last year’s winner, Esha Deol, in the online contest, which drew over 37,000 total votes at PETAIndia.com. Both winners will receive a special plaque from PETA in recognition of their compassionate lifestyles. Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow finished in the top 10 as well.

Yana, whose healthful diet also excludes all dairy products, has captured India’s heart since she settled here. The Bollywood newcomer has been modelling since she was 16 and has also lived in Milan, Paris and Vienna. Yana, who attributes her beautiful complexion to her diet, said that she was honoured to learn the news of her win. ‘If others learn about the benefits of a vegetarian diet as a result of this, then this contest will have many winners’, she said, adding that ‘being paired with Mr Bachchan was great, especially considering that he’s who I would vote for’.
Upon learning of his win last year, Amitabh faxed a thank-you note to the PETA staff, saying, ‘I am happy to have been voted a leader in your contest. … I am a vegetarian by choice and out of purely personal inclination’. Bachchan’s portrayal of a rebellious, formidable character in many of his more than 140 films reflects the masculine image and lean, muscular strength of bullocks and stallions, who are also natural vegetarians. The tall, lean actor, whose classics include Zanjeer and Deewar, has too much respect for himself to poison his body with the fat, cholesterol and pathogens found in animal flesh.

Why are so many hotties ‘vegging out’ these days? For animals (cows, chickens and buffaloes suffer horribly at the hands of the meat industry), for the environment (the meat trade is the single greatest polluter on the planet) and for their health (meaty diets promote cancer, heart disease and diabetes, all of which plague Indians) – not to mention that vegetarians are noticeably slimmer and trimmer than their flesh-eating counterparts.

‘If you care about animals, your health, the planet and even your looks, a vegetarian diet is the only way to go!’ says PETA India’s Anuradha Sawhney.

For more information on going vegetarian, visit www.PETAIndia.com.