Actor Pooja Bhatt and director Nabeel Abbas on the plight of stray dogs and the need to adopt, not shop for dogs
Nabeel Abbas:
This film is my way of doing something from the heart because at the bottom of one’s heart, one always loves pets, friends’ pets, family-friends’ pets. Pooja’s love for dogs and cats is above anything I have seen — and I have a lot of friends who have pets. But she’s at another level.
So when Ramesh (PP Ramesh Narayan) reached out — we were at a dinner at one of the IA functions — and he mentioned the possibility of doing this film, I said that the only person I could think of is Pooja Bhatt. And he asked if I would do the film and talk to her about doing it. It was a bit sudden, and Gopal and I were together.
I reached out to her over the next few days and was unsure whether she would say yes. But having worked with her for more than 20 years, in films and campaigns, I knew that if I requested her for some commercial activity, she would say no. But if it was something from the heart — and with so many bodies attached, beginning with this Rotary and so many other Rotaries that Ramesh is going to align with, and so many other shelters — she may say yes.
She didn’t just say yes, she said, “Sure, 100%, great thought and great initiative.” So that was the encouragement. It was difficult shooting the film — not the Pooja portion, that was the easiest — but, you know, travelling the roads and streets, actually living that experience. I’m not an early morning person, but I had to go out early mornings for this. And we had to have a very small camera and be nondescript while shooting.
When we did that, honestly, I cried a couple of times. And honestly, there are some of these stray dogs — Indies — that you saw. At first, I was worried whether they would be scared. They’re actually not scared at all, and many takes are not there because they would just jump up and come to you. And I would say, “No, no, wait, wait — you have to be there, you have to give a very sad moment. I’m doing a film to raise money!” And then it would have to be redone and redone.
So it looks like a two-and-a-half-minute film, but it took several hours. And thank you to Rotary and thank you to Pooja for making the film possible.
Most important, Ramesh — that one conversation and all the initiatives he’s taking to reach it out to media houses across the country — I think that’s fabulous.
Ms. Pooja Bhatt:
I have to thank you. I’m happy with this term I heard today for Ramesh — the madman and the ad man. I think that’s why we connected also. There’s a strain of madness that runs through passionate and creative people, that’s why we are what we are.
But thank you for thinking of this and having that conversation with Nabeel. And thank you, Nabeel, for being in the right place at the right time and for reaching out because there’s no way I could have said no.
My life is defined by the animals who have graced me with their presence. So it’s not that I’m giving them but that I have got so much from them. They’ve seen me through such difficult times.
My last dog that passed away in 2022 — he was my COVID companion. He was 15 and a half, epileptic, a beautiful indie, and he was just the most joyous thing. I lost my eighth indie dog — who had actually come into my life — and now I’ve got seven cats. So the next film has to be on cats, because you can’t adopt cats — they adopt you.
But, this fillm was a no-brainer; I can’t not speak for the voiceless. I’m just wired that way. The underdog, the voiceless — that’s where I want to be. And the film says it all: it sees dogs as such beautiful dogs. They’re great watchdogs, they have great immunity, and they’re low maintenance.
So, I think we should stop supporting these puppy mills, because those animals also suffer so badly. India is not made for half of the breeds — that kind of breed is suffering here. So we need to take responsibility and say, “We’ve got beautiful desi dogs. The rest of the world celebrates their own, so why not us?”
My favourite quote from my favourite book — White Fang by Jack London — he said something that resonated with me as a little girl: “Charity is not a bone thrown to a dog. Charity is a bone shared with the dog when you are as hungry as the dog.”
I come from a business that looks very glamorous from the outside — but we have very brave people. We see lots of ups and downs, and we know what hunger is. And my choice in life is very simple: if I have to deny my animals food and eat myself — no, I will go hungry, but they will eat well, and they will sleep well.
So, thank you, Rotary Club, for doing this. And thank you, Ramesh, again.
And I think I must say what stayed with me when we were shooting that day — and when Ramesh was narrating to me how his son came to him after that ad, where he had the pug plastered all across India — and there was this wave of children wanting to adopt pugs… I think it was Vodafone, right?
So his son came to him and said, “Daddy, I want a dog, I want a pug.” Ramesh asked, “Do you want a dog, or do you want a brand?” His son said, “What do you mean?” So Ramesh said, “Discuss with your mother and come back to me.”
Very profound comment. And I think that says it all, really. You see a cute-looking creature in a film and you feel, Ah, it’s fad, so I want it now.
We have to drive home the point: don’t shop — please adopt. Don’t shop — please adopt has always been my mantra. And I think we need to make it a kind of national mantra now. So thank you everyone again. And thank you, Nabeel.