Actress Alia Bhatt recently used social media to highlight how birds are injured or killed after getting entangled in manja used during Makar Sankranti. She shared the message to raise awareness about the harmful impact of glass coated kite strings.
Alia reposted an Instagram reel on her story explaining how manja affects birds. The video claimed that nearly 1,000 birds die every year due to nylon threads coated with glass during the festival season.
Along with the video, Alia wrote the line “A little bit of love goes a long way” and wished her followers Happy Makar Sankranti. The post was meant to encourage people to act responsibly if they came across injured birds.
However, the post quickly triggered backlash online. Several social media users accused Alia of targeting traditions and questioned her right to speak on the issue. Screenshots of her story were widely shared on platforms like X.
Users pointed out that Alia promotes luxury brands like Gucci and serves as its global ambassador. They argued that the brand uses genuine leather made from animal skin, which they felt contradicted her message.
Many users labelled the actress a hypocrite and shared old photos of her wearing leather jackets. Some also brought up her food choices and criticised her personal lifestyle in response to the post.
Amid the criticism, several supporters defended Alia. They said she never asked people to stop flying kites and only shared information on how to help injured birds if encountered.
As the message got lost in the backlash, Alia continued to face online abuse. Some users even dragged her husband Ranbir Kapoor into the discussion, citing an old statement of his unrelated to the issue.
The episode shows how social media reacts sharply to perceived contradictions. In the digital age, celebrities face constant scrutiny, where even well intended messages can spark widespread controversy.
Alia shares how birds lose their lives in Makar Sankranti but forgets she is brand ambassador of Gucci whose majority of products is made out of high quality leather pic.twitter.com/BMueU44zjP
— nysa (@chalkalaana) January 14, 2026
Alia shares how birds are killed because of Kite’s Maanja on Makar Sankranti day
She also promotes leather bags then has the audacity to post this? pic.twitter.com/kurpPNFkmD— Komolika Basu (@komolikabasu_) January 15, 2026
