Bollywood star Deepika Padukone recently used her platform to voice concern over an urgent matter in Mumbai: the hazardous Air Quality Index (AQI) levels. On Thursday, the AQI levels in Mumbai went up to an alarming level, signifying the rising pollution in the city.
Actor Deepika Padukone took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, March 12, 2026, to share a screenshot of an AQI map of the India's western coast. The map depicted several red patches along the coast, suggesting harmful levels of AQI. Mumbai had an AQI of 153, which is in the "unhealthy" category.
Bringing the picture to the attention of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Deepika wrote, "The city (and its children) are choking! How is this okay!?". She went on to tag the official Instagram handles of BMC and the Health Department, urging them to take some step.
The new mother is rightfully concerned about the worsening air quality across the country, especially in the big cities. While many celebrities including Richa Chadha and others have repeatedly brought the matter to the attention to the authorities, nothing seems to change.
Actor Saiyami Kher had shared the "dystopian" truth on her Instagram back in February. She had written, "I started running a decade ago. Every morning, I’d find myself on Carter Road, chasing the ocean breeze. That wind is what made me fall in love with this city and running. I want to feel it again. And dystopian as it is, I put on a mask before lacing my shoes. It took me back to the pandemic. Except there’s no virus in the air endangering our life. The air itself could kill us."
Deepika Padukone and husband, actor Ranveer Singh, welcomed daughter Dua Padukone Singh in 2024. The actor's concerns echoes the worries of every mother in the country whose demands are simple: clean, safe air to breathe.
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