BOLLYWOOD, HOLLYWOOD NEEDN’T BE COMPARED: PRIYANKA

The actor, established in both the industries, says that each should look inside their own house and decide what needs cleaning up

Bollywood A-lister Priyanka Chopra is one of those few Indian actors to have truly made her space in Hollywood. The TV show Quantico, with which she made her name in the West, is expected to end with its third season, but Priyanka is on board for two more Hollywood films, following her role of a sassy villain in Baywatch (2017). In Bollywood, she’ll be seen next in Bharat, with Salman Khan.

Being so well established in two of the world’s biggest entertainment industries, she knows them inside out, but when asked what Bollywood and Hollywood can learn from each other, the 35-year-old actor has an unconventional answer. “I don’t think we need to learn anything from each other. I think we need to conform according to what’s required for the people who’re working in the industry within that country. If you’re talking about pay parity and [sexual] harassment... [then] for example, [the lack of] pay parity happens in both countries, but the difference is that I see in Bollywood it’s said more blatantly, but [in Hollywood] it’ll be said in a more roundabout way, because nobody wants the liability or the responsibility that they’re saying this,” says Priyanka, whose upcoming Hollywood films include A Kid Like Jake and Isn’t It Romantic.

The actor emphasises that Bollywood should focus on improving itself, regardless of what happens in Hollywood. “We need to look inside our own house and decide what we want to clean up. [We should] give opportunities to women, be it in entertainment or in education, or in any field. The Commonwealth Games are such amazing examples. Most of the medals are won by women. You give women opportunities and they’ll thrive. Whether it’s Hollywood or our Hindi film industry, we need to focus on ourselves, instead of comparing ourselves with someone else,” she says.

As for how she straddles both the industries, Priyanka had earlier been asked if her Hollywood commitments made her miss out on any major Bollywood film. At the time, praising the network that produced her TV show, she had said, “[They have been] really accommodating. They have always taken care of me and they know that if there’s anything I really want to do, they would adjust the schedule and help me.”

We need to conform according to what’s required for the people working in the industry within that country. PRIYANKA CHOPRA ACTOR

PHOTO: YOGEN SHAH Priyanka Chopra’s next Hindi film is Bharat, with Salman Khan