People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has reached out to Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh for another photo shoot, close on the heels of his controversial images for Paper Magazine that have garnered a mix of applause and flak.

Riding on the buzz generated by Ranveer Singh’s photo shoot for Paper Magazine, a new offer to “pose in his birthday suit” has landed at the actor’s doorstep. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, an animal rights organization based in Mumbai, has invited him to star in a campaign called “All Animals Have the Same Parts – Try Vegan.” It is aimed at encouraging people to go vegan for the sake of animals, their own health, and a reduced carbon footprint that would benefit the planet at large in the face of global warming.

While Singh has not said accepted the offer yet, and has made no public statement in response to the invitation, we interviewed Sachin Bangera, PETAIndia Vice President of Celebrity and Public Relations, to learn more about the proposed campaign. Bangera signed the letter asking Singh to “ditch the pants” in order to “promote compassion for animals”.

Why did PETA India choose to approach Ranveer Singh for this photo shoot?

Ranveer is a superstar from Bollywood. People love him and look up to him. In one of his recent interactions with fans on Instagram, he revealed that he was on a vegan diet for his role in the film Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani directed by Karan Johar. Thanks to this information, and his photo shoot with Paper Magazine, we thought he would be perfect. He is comfortable with being n/u/d/e, so we thought he’d be open to doing it for a good cause.

Which photographer do you have on board for the campaign you want to do with him?

We have several top photographers on our roster – Rohan Shrestha, Errikos Andreou, Colston Julian, Jatin Kampani, Dabboo Ratnani and Atul Kasbekar, just to name a few. Ranveer would have the choice to work with any of them, based on who he is comfortable with.

Are you expecting Ranveer Singh to take this up as a pro bono project?

Yes, that’s right. All celebrities who work with PETA in India and internationally volunteer their time and donate their services. What they get in return is the satisfaction of using their voice and influence for something meaningful. They also get mileage and publicity. By participating in this photo shoot, Ranveer would help us communicate that animals are not food. They feel pain, they have emotions and personalities, they live with their families. In the past, we have partnered with celebrities like Anushka Sharma, Kartik Aaryan, Natalie Portman, and many others to promote meat-free meals. We hope that Ranveer will join us.

Many of the celebrities in PETA’s n/u/d/e photo shoots are women – Pamela Anderson, Alicia Silverstone, Maggie Q, Roselyn Sanchez, Eva Mendes, Khloe Kardashian. Will Ranveer be the first man to drop his clothes for PETA? Have other men done it?

He will be the first in India but, internationally, many other men have been part of our n/u/d/e photo shoots to promote healthy vegan eating and advocate against cruelty to animals. We have worked with a long list of famous compassionate men who have stripped down for our campaigns. Some of them are Tim Howard, Bret Lockett, Chad Ochocinco, Tony Gonzalez, Dave Navarro, Ty Lawson, Jake Shields, Owain Yeoman, David Cross and Wills McGahee.

Actor Alia Bhatt, who is a close friend of Ranveer’s, defended his shoot with Paper Magazine during the promotions for her film Darlings. She spoke out against trolls. She was PETA India’s Person of the Year in 2021. Did she ask you to approach Ranveer?

We are proud of our association with Alia but the decision to invite Ranveer for this campaign was purely based on our appreciation for his photo shoot with Paper Magazine and his revelation about being on a vegan diet for his upcoming film. He would make a great role model with his fun, fearless personality, and we hope that he says yes.

The police registered an FIR against him after the magazine photographs went viral on social media. It was based on a complaint that he had hurt the sentiments of women and outraged their modesty. Do you think he will say yes, given the threat of legal troubles?

We are aware of the FIR. Nudity is a natural state of being. There is nothing vulgar or sensational about it. At the end of the day, it is about what you want to see and how. Our intention is clear. We want to convey the message that animals, just like human beings, want to be free of suffering. We think that Ranveer’s presence can help us take this message to a large number of people through a campaign that would combine print and digital media. We would also like to do an electronic interview with him so that he can talk about the health benefits that he has experienced after adopting a vegan diet. This would inspire other people.