Dia Mirza: Voicing Ellie Was An Opportunity For Me To Raise Awareness About The Plight Of Captive Elephants

Dia Mirza has given the voice for Asia’s first empathy-building elephant. The actress opens up about why she has done this, and what prompted her to take up this new direction in her career.

Prateek Sur

Updated on: 11 May 2023 4:41 pm

Dia Mirza

Dia Mirza is Ellie, Asia's first empathy-building elephant. Yes, you read that right! In a heartwarming video on her social media, Dia Mirza has supported a beautiful education initiative to sensitise young children about the plight of captive elephants. She is the voice of Ellie, Asia's first animatronic empathy-building elephant, an initiative by PETA.

Check it out right here:

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A post shared by Dia Mirza Rekhi (@diamirzaofficial)

Talking about the same, Dia Mirza says, “Voicing Ellie was an opportunity for me to raise awareness among not only my children but other children as well, about the plight of captive elephants. It's important for children to understand the conditions in which these intelligent creatures are often kept, and to think about what they can do to help. By bringing Ellie to life, I hope to inspire empathy and understanding in young audiences and encourage them to take action.”

“As a mother, it’s an extremely conscious choice for me to support education initiatives that create such a beautiful and innocent sense of connection with nature among children,” she shares. Dia Mirza has supported numerous causes throughout her career, but those involving children are always close to her heart.

As a parent, she believes in leading by example for her own children, Avyaan and Samaira, and hopes that through Ellie, the pain and loneliness of elephants in captivity resonate with the future generation, moving a step ahead to raise a voice against the use of this majestic creature for our entertainment in circuses. “While I was reading the script, the part that tore into my heart, was when Ellie shared how she was taken away from her mother and her family, and how painful that must be, for an elephant, or any being, to be taken away from your loved ones,” she shares.