Actors should stop being delusional: Priyanka

Star says female actors can’t take credit for most films in INR100-crore club amid patriarchal Bollywood.

Actor-singer Priyanka Chopra is riding high on the success of her last release Mary Kom. Her stint as the eponymous Indian boxer in the film garnered much praise from both her fans and the film fraternity. But when it comes to standing her ground, the acting stalwart doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind, even if it’s comes at the expense of her contemporaries’ displeasure.

Priyanka recently made a staunch statement regarding the stature of female actors in Bollywood, stating that most of them can’t take credit for films if they enter the INR100-crore club, reported bollywood.com. Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, whose Ajay Devgn-starrer Singham Returns paced its way to the exclusive club, said this is not the case. Opposing Priyanka’s comments, her Agneepath (2012) and Krrish 3 (2013) co-star Hrithik Roshan stated that a film is a team effort and its success hinges on all the people involved in it.

But despite the disapproval her statement was met with, the multi-talented diva firmly stands by it. “I don’t know why people have to be delusional and illogical. Why are people scared of being honest? I still stand by my statement,” she said. She clarified that she has starred in films that would have been unable to enjoy the success they did without her contribution to them. She lists her performance in the 2012 romantic-comedy drama Barfi! as one of them.

“I can’t take credit for Krrish 3 and Don 2. It will be foolish of me to do that. I had a huge supporting act in them. But credit should go to me, Ileana as well as Ranbir for Barfi!” remarked Priyanka. She added that similarly, both Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor deserve credit for the success of the romantic-comedy 2 States, which was released earlier this year.

Priyanka, who was the driving force behind films such as Fashion (2008) and more recently, Mary Kom, lauded male actors in the industry for single-handedly carrying many films on their shoulders. “The boys go all out every time. I have a newfound respect for them after doing Mary Kom,” she stated.

She further said she loves promoting her films, disregarding conjecture that she doesn’t like promoting her work. “I love promotions. I love talking about my work. It makes me feel proud. But, at times, your body does not keep up,” said the actor, who recently tweeted how exhausting the latest round of promotions had left her.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2014.

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