When Priyanka Chopra Refuted Accusations of Abusing a Doctor and Insulting Dilip Kumar Like a Boss: He Apologised To Me Thrice

Bollywood celebrities enjoy public attention, but at the same time, they are always under the scanner for being a public figure. Their every word and action is scrutinized, which often leads to heavy trolling of the actors.

A similar incident took place back in 2011 when global star Priyanka Chopra got mired in an ugly fight on an aeroplane. She was accused of misbehaving and abusing a doctor who was on the same plane as hers.

Mr. Fayaz Shawl, a doctor by profession and Priyanka’s co-passenger on the Emirates flight from Mumbai to Dubai in 2011 accused the actress of misbehaving and abusing him. 

The Ugly On - Flight Fight

Mr. Fayaz made accusations of Priyanka: "I usually take a chartered plane to fly to Dubai. But, on the request of ailing actor Dilip Kumar’s family to check on his heart condition, I had to go to their residence in Pali Hill and missed my flight. So, I boarded this Emirates flight on which Priyanka Chopra was a co-passenger in first class. She occupied the window seat and was on the phone even when the flight started to take off. The staff was not objecting as they were in awe of the star, so, I passed a note to her to stop. I know of two air crashes that took place due to the phone signals interfering with the air control” he said.

Further, he alleged that PeeCee misbehaved with him.  "At this, Priyanka turned to me and said, 'Who the hell are you to stop me?' I said, 'Lady, had you been in the US, you would have been handcuffed for this.' To this, she replied, 'F*** US.' 

The doctor went on to state that Priyanka insulted veteran actor Dilip Kumar as well. “I told her that I am a doctor and saw veteran actor Dilip Kumar in Mumbai. She said, 'Who the hell cares about that old man?” he continued.

Mr Fayaz also revealed that he had shot the entire incident on his phone and had the video recording for proof as well. "I have video clips of the incident as I recorded it on my phone. I also filmed co-passengers who said on-camera that they were scared when she was talking on the phone in-flight," concluded the doctor.

Priyanka Refutes the Accusations Like A Boss

However, on the other hand, Priyanka had a different story to tell and rubbished all the allegations made against her by the doctor.  She had said in her statement, "It is disgusting that celebrities like us get a raw deal at the hands of attention seekers, so easily. These allegations are a bunch of lies. That man is a lunatic. If it hadn’t been for his old age, I would have slapped him for how he behaved with me on the flight. He tried to film me on his phone despite my requests to not do it. I was calling him ‘sir’, as I’ve been brought up to respect elders."

The actress also revealed that the doctor in question was drunk and misbehaved with her. "He was clearly drunk and tried to make an issue out of me talking on the phone. I’ve travelled a million times, and I didn’t break any rules. The aircraft was on the tarmac when I finished an important call. By then this man was screaming. He dropped names and said he knows the Sheikh in Dubai and would get me deported. I took out my credit card and challenged him to make a call to the Sheikh right there from the aircraft’s paid phone” she shared.

Priyanka added: “He behaved in a cheap manner and said 'I know you Bollywood starlet types'. That made me lose it because I value my dignity. He showed me a video of himself with Dilip sir (actor Dilip Kumar). I complained to the staff and they conveyed it to the captain.”

The actress mentioned that after the flight landed, the doctor came up to her and apologised as well. “When the flight landed, he came and apologised to me thrice. But I didn’t accept his apology” she said.

Reacting to the accusations of insulting legendary actor Dilip Kumar, Priyanka clarified: "If he’s talking to media now, it’s just to get attention. You can check with anyone on that flight, including Leander Paes. I would never insult a legend like Dilip Kumar. I’ve spoken to Saira ma'am (Saira Banu). She totally stands by me on this.”