Bollywood actor-singer Priyanka Chopra admits that she doesn’t know much about the controversy regarding superstar Shahrukh Khan’s comments on being a Muslim in India. However, she says people often use celebrities to “advance their propagandas”.
“Celebrities have become a soft target nowadays,” Priyanka said at a press conference to unveil the video of her single In My City.
In the Outlook Turning Points magazine, published in association with The New York Times newspaper, Shahrukh gave a first person account on being a Muslim. The write-up led Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed to state that the star could move to Pakistan if he does not feel safe in India. While, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said India should provide security to Shahrukh.
Priyanka, who has worked with Shahrukh in films like Don (2006) and Don 2 (2011), says the media should report matters carefully. “The press should not get trapped in all this and must report the truth,” she said.
Priyanka, who is otherwise seen to be very friendly with the press, seemed to get ruffled while being questioned on the issue.
When asked if she would have gotten involved with more controversies if her surname would have been ‘Khan’, she said, “I get into controversies with ‘Chopra’ too. A big deal is being made out of nothing. You should be ashamed to even ask such a question in a country as secular as India.”
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2013.
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