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Bollywood and Hollywood starlet Priyanka Chopra seems to have landed herself in a spot of bother, after stating that the North Eastern state of Sikkim is currently 'troubled with insurgency' and a film, produced by her 'Pahuna' is the first ever motion picture to be released from the region. Former Indian national football team Captain and Politician Bhaichung Bhutia condoned this particular statement, highlighting how the people of Sikkim are deeply hurt by the ignorance.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, he said, "Sikkim is one of the most politically stable states in the country since 1975, and there has not been a single insurgency since then. I don't know where Priyanka obtained this data, but it has nothing to do with our state. She probably mixed it up with another North Eastern state, but her words have deeply affected the people of our state. One of the primary reason that people from across the country tend to stereotype North East is that of their lack of awareness from the region."
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During the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Priyanka Chopra garnered several eyeballs for her latest production, Pahuna, which is based on two children and their perspectives on the Refugee crisis. The statement has gone viral on social media, especially after people unearthed the information that she is the brand ambassador to Assam.
Priyanka said, "Sikkim is a small state in the North-east of India which never had a film industry or anyone who made a film from the region. This is the first film ever that’s come out of that region because it’s very troubled with insurgency and troubling situations."
Pahuna is not the first film to come out from this region, but Sikkim has had a flourishing film industry, which dates back to 1996. In fact, Dhokbu, a film produced this year received critical acclaim across India for its depiction of a University student, who was lost in the Sikkim forest range.
Bhaichung added, "Honestly when I became the Captain of the Indian football team it was one of the proudest moments for the state. They celebrated my Captaincy as I was captaining India, not because they wanted Sikkim as a separate state. As I said, people here are proud Indians, and there is no other country they would want to be a part of."
Priyanka has received a strong backlash online but is yet to release a statement on the matter.
Here are some of the reactions on social media:
