Pooja Bhatt defends Priyanka Chopra over Quantico controversy
Priyanka Chopra has faced a fair bit of backlash for a controversial Quantico episode that depicts Indian nationalists engineering a nuclear attack in Manhattan… with the intention of framing Pakistan for the terrorist act.
People have called her out for the negative portrayal of her home country. But not everyone believes she deserves the criticism.
According to Pooja Bhatt, it’s hypocritical of her fans to “claim her achievements as [their] own” and then “make her apologize for a work of fiction that has been created by someone else”.
When Priyanka Chopra makes a mark for herself Internationally we claim her achievements as our own & then threaten to ban her films & make her apologise for a work of fiction that has been created by someone else. Can we please attempt to be larger than that?
— Pooja Bhatt (@PoojaB1972) June 11, 2018
After the controversy erupted, Priyanka Chopra had issued an apology for hurting Indian sentiments.
I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I'm a proud Indian and that will never change.
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) June 9, 2018
Quantico’s executive producers also released a joint statement with ABC Studios:
“...The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didn't create the show, nor does she write or direct it. She has no involvement in the casting of the show or the storylines depicted in the series.”
They added, "Quantico is a work of fiction. The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone."