Priyanka Chopra courted controversy by saying that Sikkim is troubled by insurgency. While talking about Pahuna, a regional film produced by her, she said, “Sikkim is a small state in the Northeast of India, which never had a film industry or anyone who made a film from the region. This is the first film ever that’s come out of that region, because it’s very troubled with insurgency and troubling situations.” The interview was given to ET Canada on the sidelines of Toronto International Film Festival, where the film was much appreciated. Soon, social media was abuzz with people being quick in pointing out to her that Sikkim is a peaceful state and films have been made there.
It left many wondering how celebs are often so ignorant about important facts. With her foot in mouth moment, she joins the likes of Sidharth Malhotra, who tried to plug his film while tweeting about the mayhem that followed Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s conviction and Salman Khan who compared his pain to that of ‘a raped woman’ while promoting Sultan. Actor Adil Hussain, who belongs to Assam, a state whose brand ambassador is Priyanka, feels people should not discount Priyanka’s endeavours in creating awareness about humanitarian causes and her push to regional cinema. He says, “In the video, she says the word ‘region’ and not Sikkim, and maybe she was talking about the North-east region. Coming from that region, I know how most Indians and not just celebrities, are so ignorant about the Northeast. As a responsible citizen, we must know about the things we are talking about. But to reiterate, actors are not historians. After she apologised, why do we need to put her on a media trial?”
Another star from the same region, Zubeen Garg, informs that 50 per cent of his film, Mission China, was shot in Sikkim and he found the state to be extremely peaceful. He says, “It’s pure lack of knowledge. Please come to Northeast and explore the place before making sweeping statements. Also, Bollywood celebs from this region should popularise their regional cinema all over the country so people know about the films we have made and are making now. The statement was unfortunate as it can leave a bad impression of the region.”
But to prevent such gaffes, image consultant Shweta Athwal suggests that actors should not forget their primary roles. She says, “People like Salman and Priyanka are such big cinema stars, they might think they will be equally good as activists. Also, their PR teams and family members should make sure they don’t get overwhelmed by their emotions in their new-found roles of change makers.”
