Priyanka Chopra was all praises for Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy for being hired as the first woman and person of colour to direct a ‘Star Wars’ film. The actor gave a shoutout to Sharmeen for helming the upcoming Star Wars movie. In her Instagram story, “First person of colour and first woman to direct a Star Wars film… And she’s South Asian!! What a historic moment @sharmeenobaidchinoy. So so proud of you my friend. May the force be with you!.”
However, Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui criticised her for calling Sharmeen “South Asian.” Taking to Twitter, Adnan, who had featured in Sridevi’s 2017 film ‘Mom,’ shared a screenshot of Priyanka’s Instagram story about Sharmeen and wrote, “With due respect, @priyankachopra Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is a Pakistani first just to brush up your knowledge. Much like the way you flaunt your Indian nationality whenever you get the opportunity before claiming to be a South Asian. .”
Priyanka and other South Asian women in Hollywood, like Mindy Kaling, have created a community to help, support and motivate talent. She had recently also hosted a pre-Oscars party to host and honour all the South Asian nominees, where she also gave a speech about supporting each other.