Vegetarianism is very common in India with around half the population avoiding meat, so as veganism is soaring worldwide, it’s no surprise that number of vegans is growing rapidly in India too.  Bollywood, the Indian version of Hollywood, is leading the way with some of the most famous vegans in the Hindi movie world. Here are just a few of those making a name for themselves as vegans.

Richa Chadda is an actor, producer and political activist.  She used to be vegetarian but recently switched to being vegan.  “We are human beings – we are not meant to consume milk from another mammal” she said.

Actors Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh chose to go vegan when their son asked how they could eat chicken and love their dog.  They discovered the health benefits of the vegan lifestyle and have launched their own plant-based meat line, Imagine Meat, which was chosen by Starbucks India for their vegan sausage products.

Actor Alia Bhatt, known as one of India’s highest-paid actresses, went vegan 3 years ago.  She felt passionately about animals and so created her own sustainability-focused platform, called Coexist, which is dedicated to raising awareness of animal welfare, ethical consumption, and environmental preservation.

In 2007 actor, dancer and model Malaika Arora appeared in a PETA campaign as an advocate for animals, but it took her a decade more to switch to a vegan lifestyle.  “Experimenting with vegan food has been a challenge, but so worth it” she said.

Just as in Hollywood, as the idea of veganism becomes more popular, it’s the stars who often lead the way.