Trolls target Dia Mirza for crying during climate change discussion at Jaipur Lit Fest, she replies ‘It’s called having a heart’

Trolls called Dia Mirza ‘dramebaaz’ for breaking down while speaking on climate change at Jaipur Literature Festival.

Environmentalist and actor Dia Mirza has become a victim of social media trolls after she broke down at the latest edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival while speaking about climate change. A video is doing the rounds on the Internet in which the Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein actor is seen weeping profusely.

Dia Mirza during Jaipur Literature Festival in Jaipur. (Raj K Raj/HT PHOTO)

“Don’t hold back from being an empath. Don’t be afraid of shedding your tears..feel it.. feel the full extent of everything.It is good...it gives us strength...this is not a performance,” Dia said. She also refused to use a paper napkin offered by someone at a panel discussion.

Replying to a few trolls, she wrote on Twitter, “Its called having a heart. Try it sometime. It makes you a part of the solution. #ClimateAction #ClimateEmergency.” She said in other tweets, “Our tears our own. But our actions can continue to bring more people together and its such a privilege” and “We must never hide the true extent of our feelings. Ever.”

Not only this, a slew of Twitter users reminded her how the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board had reportedly issued a red notice on her for not paying water taxes of Rs 2.26 lakh a few years ago. “If you are planning to be future environmentalist, use a lot of water, don’t pay the bill, so that after few years you can cry on TV saying you don’t use paper,” a user said.

Dia also thanked a fan who highlighted her efforts towards environment conservation. “I have never been afraid of expressing myself honestly and i hope everyone feels the full extent of what #ClimateChange is doing to people and planet. Solutions exist and we must acknowledge the problem so we can fix it.”

When asked why she cried during the session, Dia shared that it was basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s death which made her emotional. “My day started really well yesterday (January 26). At around 3 (early morning), this news alert came on my phone for a very big player, NBA player who I followed for a while. His chopper crashing in California disturbed me. It really upset me. There are different things that upset us on different days, but we take care of ourselves. I was overwhelmed because my blood pressure was low,” Dia added.

(With HT inputs)

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