Dia Mirza Says There Was No Disrespect As She Defends Son S Schooling Of Delivery Agent After Backlash

Bollywood actor Dia Mirza faced backlash in June after she recounted an incident involving her five-year-old son, Avyaan Azaad Rekhi, who reportedly questioned an adult delivery worker for using a plastic bag. Now, the actor has clarified that her son did not disrespect the coconut water vendor.

In an interview with Zoom, Dia revealed that her son had simply voiced something that “people in their entire life are unable to”. She also defended him against trolls who called his behaviour privileged and elitist.

She said, “Now, if a child is learning to say, 'We do not use this' - of course, everybody made it about the nariyal wala, which it was not. Firstly, it was not during the peak of summer. So, those who are worried about the coconut vendor coming in the heat and supplying this coconut water to this household in a plastic bag was his livelihood. It was all about the optics that were created around the story, which were about how it was elitist and it was disrespectful to the coconut vendor. That was not the approach of the story, nor was it the reality.”

She further said that her son never disrespected the delivery worker and added, “Everybody who knows me knows how I treat people. So, I don’t have to justify how I treat human beings. The child saw a coconut in a plastic bag. The child recognised that it was something we do not - if we don’t propagate it. The child had the agency and the awareness to say, 'Please yeh wapas le jao hamare ghar mein. It’s not allowed.' There is no disrespect here either.”

During the podcast with Soha Ali Khan, Dia Mirza recalled how her son Avyaan refused to accept coconut water in a plastic bag and asked the delivery worker to take the plastic bag and straw back.

Soha praised Avyaan’s conviction, saying, “Imagine standing up to somebody who is an adult and to have that conviction.”

The incident sparked criticism online, with some social media users accusing Dia of raising her son with a sense of entitlement and calling the interaction with the delivery worker privileged and elitist.

Dia was last seen in the show Operation Safed Sagar. The series, which also stars Jimmy Shergill, Siddharth, Abhay Verma, Prajakta Kohli and Mihir Ahuja, received critical appreciation. It is available to watch on nNetflix

Riya Sharma is a content producer at Hindustan Times who lives and breathes entertainment. If there’s gossip making noise in Bollywood or a reality show moment breaking the internet, chances are she’s already writing about it. She loves digging out the juiciest stories, spotting viral pegs and turning it into easy-to-read content. A journalism graduate from IP University, Riya began her career as a social media executive, where she learned the art of grabbing attention in a scroll-heavy world. But her love for showbiz soon pulled her into entertainment journalism, because for her, it’s always been entertainment, entertainment and more entertainment. An artist at heart, Riya has a deep passion for acting, music and dance, which shapes how she watches and writes about films and reality shows. She loves sharing her views and reviews, especially when something excites, surprises or completely disappoints her. A hardcore reality show fan, Riya enjoys tracking every twist, task and meltdown, and breaking them down for readers who can’t get enough of high-voltage drama. Movies are equally close to her heart, whether it’s a big theatrical release or a binge-worthy OTT series, she’s always watching, and analysing what’s worth the time. She loves talking to celebrities, asking questions that go beyond the usual. When she’s not working, she’s either glued to a new web series, hunting for underrated thrillers on OTT platforms, or rewatching iconic Bollywood moments.Read More