Mumbai: Legendary film hero Amitabh Bachchan and Czech-born supermodel Yana Gupta have won People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India's '2003 Hottest Vegetarian Alive' contest.

Bachchan retained his crown from 2002, edging out actor Richard Gere, top model John Abraham, Southern heartthrob Madhavan, industrialist Anil Ambani and cricketer Anil Kumble. President Abdul Kalam was a very popular nominee, and he came a close second in the running. 'Lord of the Rings' star Orlando Bloom, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow finished in the top 10 as well.

First-time winner Yana Gupta finished ahead of Liv Tyler, Shania Twain, Pamela Anderson and 2002 winner Esha Deol, in the online contest, which drew over 37,000 total votes at www.petaindia.com. Both winners will receive a special plaque from PETA in recognition of their compassionate lifestyles.

Yana, whose healthful diet also excludes all dairy products, has captured India's heart since she settled here. The Bollywood newcomer has been modelling since she was 16 and has also lived in Milan, Paris and Vienna. Yana, who attributes her beautiful complexion to her diet, said that she was honoured to learn the news of her win. If others learn about the benefits of a vegetarian diet as a result of this, then this contest will have many winners, she said, adding that being paired with Bachchan was great, especially considering that he's whom she would vote for.

Bachchans portrayal of a rebellious, formidable character in many of his more than 140 films reflects the masculine image and lean, muscular strength of bullocks and stallions, which are also natural vegetarians. The tall, lean actor, whose classics include 'Zanjeer' and 'Deewar', has too much respect for himself to poison his body with the fat, cholesterol and pathogens found in animal flesh.

Why are so many hotties vegging out these days? For animals (cows, chickens and buffaloes suffer horribly at the hands of the meat industry), for the environment (the meat trade is the single greatest polluter on the planet) and for their health (meaty diets promote cancer, heart disease and diabetes, all of which plague Indians) not to mention that vegetarians are noticeably slimmer and trimmer than their flesh-eating counterparts.

Says PETA India's Anuradha Sawhney, "If you care about animals, your health, the planet and even your looks, a vegetarian diet is the only way to go!"