When Priyanka Chopra admitted that actors are 'soft targets'

This year is coming to end but not before it was a year that had so many controversies. Deepika Padukone came under fire for going to JNU to show solidarity towards the students amid the Delhi protests. Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s unfortunate passing created a huge uproar as the film industry came under fire for group-ism and nepotism. Star kids were targeted for getting easy access to films while aspiring actors would have to struggle for years before getting their big break. Then, the industry once again came under the limelight for alleged drug scandal as many big names were called in for questioning by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). In a way, major headlines were Bollywood centric. As the nation is currently witnessing the biggest peaceful protests by farmers at Delhi – Punjab border, the Punjabi film industry has come out publicly in support of the farmers while the mainstream Bollywood fraternity has stayed mum on the issue.

It was only recently when Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor amongst the very few names, openly talked about the ongoing protests and why everyone should stand with the farmers. Priyanka, a few days ago, shared Diljit Dosanjh’s tweet and said, “Our farmers are India's Food Soldiers. Their fears need to be allayed. Their hopes need to be met. As a thriving democracy, we must ensure that the crisis is resolved sooner than later.”

But, Priyanka has had the same sentiments of speaking up since the beginning. Back in 2015 after Bajirao Mastani release, other stories that were being highlighted were about growing intolerance in the country. Showing support to actors including Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, who had spoken about the issue, Priyanka admitted that the actors are often soft targets. The actress was working back and forth between the US and India. “We are different culture and different countries and you can’t compare different countries. There’s no country like India. You go 100 miles in our country, language changes, culture changes, clothes and features change – everything changes. This is the only country in the world that is a world within itself I feel. So it is a very different nation. You can’t compare it to anyone first of all,” she had said.

She further added, “Second of all, I do think actors are soft targets sometimes. As soon as you take the name of an actor, just like a common man, they have the right to say something, the same way we have the right to say something and our opinions. When a common man says something, they don’t take away their bread and butter. Why does this happen to us? Our films are not just ours. Yes, our faces are on the poster, but there are thousands of people like people who sell popcorns, distributors, exhibitors – all of these people whose livelihood gets tainted because a film is taken on and that I am against. I believe we live in a democracy and actors should also have a right of an opinion just like everybody else does.”

ALSO READ: Nick Jonas films his special appearance in Text For You with Priyanka Chopra at King's Cross in London