Actor Sayani Gupta has sparked a crucial conversation about Mumbai’s deteriorating air quality after sharing how rising pollution levels have severely impacted her health. As the city continues to record “unhealthy” AQI levels, the Delhi Crime actor has urged authorities and residents to acknowledge the crisis before it becomes irreversible.
“I have literally not opened my windows”
Gupta revealed that ever since she returned from Goa, she has been struggling with respiratory issues that only seem to be worsening with each passing day.
“First, it started with the throat. I lost my voice. And now it has gotten into my sinuses. It is affecting work obviously. I have literally not opened my windows because of the AQI and the pollution… The air purifier is on, which I hope helps, but it is pointless.”
Many Mumbaikars share the same helplessness, indoor air no longer feels like a safe escape.
Development at the cost of breath?
Expressing frustration at rapid construction and constant redevelopment across the city, Gupta questioned why environmental concerns are treated like an afterthought.
“We are not just covered in cement and dust from the outside, but our lungs are filled with dust. I don’t know what will have to happen and how many people need to die literally from this insane AQI for them to stop cutting trees.”
She further pointed to increased clearing of green zones and shrinking natural spaces, decisions that directly contribute to worsening air quality.
“How much greed is enough?”
Even buildings that do not need redevelopment are being razed, she said, calling out the rush to construct endlessly.
“Every building is going under redevelopment… I don’t understand how so much greed. It’s understandable that builders will have greed; it’s probably part of their DNA. But people who live around them… they can’t breathe.”
Her words mirror the concerns of environmental activists who have long warned about the imbalance between infrastructure expansion and ecological preservation.
Gupta questioned how long people must wait for clean air to be treated as a priority and a fundamental right.
“I don’t know if anybody is paying heed… It is dire. When will it become important? This is our basic right. Right to breathe.”
