Together for the planet

Varun, Malaika and Sobhita

Nature conservation is a cause that many Bollywood stars champion. With World Environment Day around the corner, many actors have joined forces to spread the good word. This year, Abhishek Bachchan will lead the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Bhamla Foundation's World Environment Day campaign, the theme of which is Bhumi namaskar. Bachchan will front the music video that also stars Varun Dhawan, Jackie Shroff, Sobhita Dhulipala, Malaika Arora and has been helmed by R Balki.

Asif Bhamla, the mind behind the initiative, says Gulzar and Javed Akhtar were among the first to hear the song and praise it. "Bhumi namaskar is about expressing gratitude to Mother Earth that keeps giving us so much, and we selfishly keep destroying it," he shares. The song is written by Prasoon Joshi, composed by Aman Pant and sung by Shreya Ghoshal, Sheykhar Ravjiani, and others.

While a cyclathon will be held on June 5 at Carter Road in Bandra to mark World Environment Day, an event has been lined up at the Carter Road amphitheatre for June 8. Bhamla is pleased that Bachchan agreed to be part of the venture. "Mr Balki told me that bringing Abhishek on board wouldn't be easy as he is shy. He is known to refuse ads worth crores. When we explained to him that he'd be giving back to Mother Earth through this, Abhishek agreed."

Bachchan says he wants to do his bit for a greener planet. "I'm happy to be a part of this global campaign. Plus, Balki has curated this, whom I have immense respect for," he says. While Shroff is proud that the next generation is environmentally conscious, Arora says, "Healthy soil is essential for life on earth. Plants can survive without humans, but humans cannot without plants. This is a reminder [that we can] make a difference together."