Wednesday, December 31, 2025
    ADVT 
    Bollywood

    Priyanka Chopra Starrer Quantico: ABC Apologises For Hindu Terror Plot After Online Backlash

    IANS, 08 Jun, 2018 11:28 AM

      US television studio ABC has apologised to Indian fans of its crime drama Quantico after an episode featuring Indian nationalists trying to frame Pakistan in a terrorist plot sparked online outrage against Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, who plays a lead role in the show.

       

      “The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didn’t create the show, nor does she write or direct it,” said Walt Disney-owned ABC in its statement.

       
       

      After the recent Quantico episode, Chopra has faced online attacks and even some calls to boycott her work and the brands that she endorses, including South Korean giant Samsung Electronics Co.

       

      Others called on the government to black out the scene where Chopra, who stars as an FBI agent in the series, holds up sacred Hindu prayer beads as evidence that the plotter in the episode, planning to detonate a nuclear bomb in New York, was an Indian nationalist.

       

      “The myth of Hindu terror, by a fake story, enters American television with the help of Priyanka Chopra. Would any Pakistani actress betray Pakistan or Islam the way she betrays India and Hinduism?”, David Frawley, a Hindu scholar based in the United States, tweeted.

       
       

      ABC, in its statement, said Chopra has no involvement in the storylines depicted in the series. “The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone,” ABC said in a statement on Friday.

       

      While Priyanka has kept mum about the whole issue, Bangladeshi-American writer Sharbari Ahmed -- who worked on the first season of the show -- has said that she is appalled by the reactions of Indian tweeters.

       
       

      In an interview with Mid-Day Ahmed said, "The swift reaction (to the episode) indicates the state of mind that India is in. It is so similar to the absurd reaction they had to Padmaavat. The idea of nationalism in itself is taking on a problematic colour. It says essentially that I am better than you, my culture and beliefs are superior to yours."

       
       

      Defending Priyanka's silence over the issue, she added, "Priyanka is a smart woman. I doubt she would be involved if the episode was offensive. ABC (the network) would be sensitive to that as well. It is absurd that there is such an uproar about a fictional show."

       

      But in a recently issued statement by the network, it looks like ABC differs from Ahmed's opinion. The network apologised for having stepped into a sensitive political issue.

       
       

      "ABC Studios and the executive producers of Quantico would like to extend an apology to our audience who were offended by the most recent episode, 'The Blood of Romeo.' The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didn’t create the show, nor does she write or direct it. She has no involvement in the casting of the show or the storylines depicted in the series," the ABC statement read.

       

      "Quantico is a work of fiction. The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone," it continued.

       

      After the episode, Priyanka Chopra, an Indian, was trolled brutally. Twitter slammed her for the plot and tweets like "shame on you, Priyanka Chopra. Why are you making people dig into your half Christian religion behind your contribution to anti-India/anti-Hindu propaganda? How low you Bollywoodtards will fall for money & fame?" were posted. Some people wrote that Priyanka has 'let down several Indians.'

       

      Here are some tweets.

       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

      Quantico will go off air after season 3

      Prev Next

      MORE Bollywood ARTICLES

      Keeping Up! Kardashian And Jenner Sisters Star In Sexy Calvin Klein Lingerie Shoot

      Keeping Up! Kardashian And Jenner Sisters Star In Sexy Calvin Klein Lingerie Shoot
      Reality TV star Kylie Jenner, who is reportedly pregnant, has featured in an advertisement with her sisters.

      Keeping Up! Kardashian And Jenner Sisters Star In Sexy Calvin Klein Lingerie Shoot

      Mahmood Farooqui Returns To Theatre After Acquittal In Rape Case

      Mahmood Farooqui Returns To Theatre After Acquittal In Rape Case
      After facing legal battles and incarceration for an alleged rape, theatre personality and "Peepli Live" co-producer Mahmood Farooqui is a free man and ready to return to his first love, theatre, with a play based on the "Mahabharata".

      Mahmood Farooqui Returns To Theatre After Acquittal In Rape Case

      Karni Sena Threats Force Cancellation Of 'Padmaavat' Bookings In Bihar

      Karni Sena Threats Force Cancellation Of 'Padmaavat' Bookings In Bihar
      Shree Rajput Karni Sena activists have forced cinema halls to stop advance bookings for "Padmaavat", officials on Tuesday said.

      Karni Sena Threats Force Cancellation Of 'Padmaavat' Bookings In Bihar

      Pic: Shah Rukh Khan Recreates Signature Pose In Davos

      Pic: Shah Rukh Khan Recreates Signature Pose In Davos
      Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is in Davos to receive an honour at the 24th Annual Crystal Awards, recreated his signature open arms pose here in a middle of a snow clad path.

      Pic: Shah Rukh Khan Recreates Signature Pose In Davos

      We Need To Learn Dignity Of Labour From West: Nimrat Kaur

      Actress Nimrat Kaur, who has worked in foreign television series like "Wayward Pines" and "Homeland", says that culturally we are very different from the West and dignity of labour is something we can learn from the Occident.

      We Need To Learn Dignity Of Labour From West: Nimrat Kaur

      There's Hunger To Do Things That Are Different: Diana Penty

       would definitely be open to and would want to (try different things). There is a hunger to kind of do things that are different,

      There's Hunger To Do Things That Are Different: Diana Penty

      PrevNext