In what was a moment of great blunder that did not fail to shock the Indians the world over, popular actress and former Miss India Priyanka Chopra at the Toronto Film Festival described Sikkim, one of India’s most peaceful state as a place “troubled with insurgency”.
Priyanka Chopra at the Toronto International Film Festival PinkVilla
Priyanka Chopra is in the news about her upcoming production venture ‘Pahuna: The Little Visitors’, which made for a grand screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.
However, what the producer failed in was not knowing her own country before furnishing “facts” before the international media. Not only did she refer to Sikkim as a troubled state but also claimed her film ‘Pahuna: The Little Visitors’ as the first ever film from the state.
In her interview, Priyanka says:
Sikkim is a small state from Northeast India. It is an insurgency affected place. It never had a film industry. Never before anyone has made a film from Sikkim. Our film is the first movie to be made in this region. This film is based on the story of two kids who get separated from their parents while fleeing the Maoist agitation from Nepal to Sikkim. The entire cast and many of the technicians are from Sikkim. It is a take on the refugee crisis from the eye of two kids.
It is true that the small hill state of northeast India does not have a film industry as big as Bollywood but to say that no film has ever been released from the region is too preposterous to believe. The very talented filmmaker Prashant Rasaily himself made acclaimed films like ‘Katha’ and ‘Acharya’, both of which were full-length feature films. This year the Lepcha film ‘Dhokbu’ has also earned a lot of praise and critical acclaim. Besides, there are also numerous films by Ugen Chatola, with many of them starring Bollywood star Danny Denzongpa, who himself hails from Sikkim.
The poster of ‘Pahuna: The Little Visitors’ Nepali Sajha
It is a matter of public record that the crime rate in Sikkim is close to negligible.
Needless to say, the insensitive comment from Priyanka Chopra, a brand ambassador for Assam, has evoked quite an outrage on social media.
OMG ~ That’s so SAD ~ Probably the reel life #MaryKom mistook #Sikkim for #Manipur —
— Karma Bhutia (@iambhutia) September 13, 2017
@priyankachopra don’t u dare scream discrimination when a white person calls u brown! You dense, ignorant imbecile! Leave #Sikkim alone!
Advertisement— Shiori 栞 (@Avvan23) September 13, 2017
I strongly condemn the statements of @priyankachopra against #Sikkim.
Shame on you #PriyankaChopra— SunCha KurumBang (@SunchaKurumbang) September 14, 2017
There’s only one meaning to it n she also stated that this is sikkim’s first film.Seriously dude she has no idea wat she’s talking about.
— Zigmi Bhutia (@zigmi_bhutia) September 14, 2017
Representing the country on an international stage is a great responsibility. Having raked up plenty of controversies, Priyanka should apologize for her ignorance about Sikkim and accepted the criticism hurled at her. She also needs to act more responsibly when speaking about matters the actress does not know about.
