Pri yank a for Sikkim Chop ra comment receives backlash A
ctor Priyanka Chopra got a taste of people’s wrath when she called Sikkim a state “troubled by insurgency”, and said that her production, Pahuna: The Little Visitors, is the first film to come out of the state.
In an interview to ET Canada, after her film received a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Priyanka said, “Sikkim is a small state in the North-East of India that 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.”
Social media users pointed out that Sikkim remains “one of the most peaceful states” in India. While its film industry is nascent, films have been made in the state and even received wide critical acclaim, for instance, Prashant Rasaily’s films Katha, Acharya; and a Lepcha film, Dhokbu, which premiered this year.
From being called “a dense, ignorant imbecile” to being asked to get her facts right, Priyanka — who is the brand ambassador of Assam — attracted a lot of backlash.
Although the actor is yet to comment on the controversy, Sikkim’s tourism minister, Ugen T Gyatso, was reported as saying that Priyanka, her company, and the director and producer of Pahuna have apologised to him in writing and verbally.