Jacqueline Fernandez, Riteish Deshmukh shine as PETA’s Most Beautiful Vegetarian Celebrities of 2024

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India recently announced the winners of the title of Most Beautiful Vegetarian Celebrities. Actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Riteish Deshmukh, who is vegan, have been recognised for their advocacy.

Jacqueline Fernandez's pursuit
Jacqueline Fernandez, leveraging her immense celebrity influence, has become a passionate advocate for animal welfare. She has mobilised her fans to back PETA India’s initiatives, particularly the #FreeGajraj campaign, which successfully liberated an elephant who had endured over 50 years in chains. In addition to this impactful campaign, Fernandez encourages her followers to adopt dogs from shelters, embrace a vegan diet, and has appeared in a campaign opposing the use of angora wool. She has also voiced her stance against the use of horse-drawn carriages, highlighting her commitment to animal rights.

Riteish Deshmukh's vegan initiative

Riteish Deshmukh is a passionate advocate for veganism and has taken significant steps to promote plant-based eating. Together with his wife, Genelia, he co-founded Imagine Meats, a company dedicated to creating delicious vegan meat alternatives. Their innovative “chicken” nuggets have garnered acclaim, even winning PETA India’s Best Vegan Meat award, highlighting Deshmukh’s strong commitment to promoting plant-based nutrition.

Annual contest 
PETA India's Most Beautiful Vegetarian Award is an annual contest that recognises and celebrates individuals who promote a vegetarian lifestyle. The award aims to highlight the beauty and benefits of vegetarianism, which encompasses compassion for animals and a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Last month, PETA India opened public voting to select the Most Beautiful Vegetarian Celebrity of 2024. With over 300 entrants, the contest featured a host of popular figures, including Shraddha Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Alia Bhatt, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Anushka Sharma, Shashi Tharoor, Sunny Leone, Virat Kohli, and Shahid Kapoor.Contestants are evaluated based on their commitment to vegetarianism, advocacy for animal rights, and overall impact on the community.

In the 2023 edition, PETA India awarded the title of Most Beautiful Vegetarian Celebrity to Zeenat Aman and Jackie Shroff.