Photo: https://www.instagram.com/priyankachopra/
KARACHI: Priyanka Chopra knows how to get the audience’s attention. However, most of this attention is attracted by her statements, which are sometimes problematic, sometimes politically incorrect, and sometimes just plain confusing. She has also previously been called out for lending her name to racism dressed as patriotism and for encouraging war against Pakistan while being an ambassador for peace. Recently, Priyanka Chopra has been promoting her memoir, ‘Unfinished’, and managed to make another statement which has many of us confused.
In an exclusive interview with Bombay Times, Chopra claimed to be “a small town girl with dreams bigger than (she) was supposed to have.” Last time we checked, Chopra comes from a family background which is more privileged than your average Indian girl, so to undersell the opportunities that she had at a young age is not entirely justified. Let us do a quick recap of who Priyanka Chopra really is and where she comes from.
Her family
Both of Chopra’s parents were physicians in the military which means that they had access to education and careers which a lot of Indians do not have. If her mother was not already breaking stereotypes, their military jobs also meant the family was constantly on the move so Chopra was exposed to India outside of Jamshedpur (the small town) at an early age.
Her youth
Priyanka Chopra not only belonged to a well educated family in India but for her own education, Chopra went to the U.S at the age of 13 to study. Now, how many small town Indian girls have the opportunity to study in Boston, let alone at such a young age?
Chopra’s parents were not only supportive of her receiving education from well reputed institutions but her mother also encouraged her to participate in the Miss India pageant which she won at the age of 18. In the interview with Bombay Times, Chopra also confessed “I am lucky to have had a family that encouraged me to push the boundaries and defy the stereotypes that existed.” So then who exactly was stopping her from dreaming big?
The same year, Chopra was also crowned Miss World 2000. These might not be ‘dreams’ for a girl, but it is still a pretty big deal. The world recognizes you before you can even appear for your board exams. How is that anything but big?
In an interview with Glamour a few years ago, Chopra also acknowledged the support that she received from her father and how not everyone receives the same kind of support. “My father always told me, ‘You should not want to fit into someone else’s glass slipper. You should shatter the glass ceiling.’ He instilled confidence in me, and that doesn’t happen for so many kids,” said the actor. So Chopra does recognize her privilege and how she was luckier than other kids in India who might not have the same accessibility or support as she did.
Everyone should be proud of whatever they achieve in life and everyone struggles in their own way to get to a certain point. Chopra’s life is in no way struggle-free but to undersell one’s privilege and social background is not the smartest move. So is she done venting now? Because she’s embarrassing herself.
