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Priyanka Chopra: My parents didn't expect me to conform to gender stereotypes
Purvaja SawantPriyanka Chopra is the brand ambassador of the Global Citizen Festival India, powered by The Times Of India, which will be held in Mumbai on November 19.
| TNN | Sep 24, 2016, 01.00 AM IST
Bollywood actress, pop singer, American TV star, UNICEF ambassador, social crusader... Priyanka Chopra, who is successfully juggling careers and shuttling between two continents, is not just an international icon today but a global citizen in the true sense of the term. After making heads turn with her 'princess' moment as a presenter at the Emmys last week, the actress is adding another feather to her cap " she is co-hosting the Global Citizen Festival in New York today. Apart from sharing the stage with the who's who of Hollywood, she will also talk about the Global Citizen Festival India, powered by The Times Of India, which will be held in Mumbai on November 19. The concert will see international artistes like Coldplay and Jay Z performing for the first time in the country. Priyanka spoke exclusively to Bombay Times about bringing the campaign here and the social issues that are close to her heart.
After presenting at the Oscars and Emmys this year, you're now going to be hosting alongside some of the biggest Hollywood celebrities. You're on a roll...
I keep setting higher standards for myself. I'm my own competition. My aim is to raise the bar and shatter the glass ceiling. I've always believed that no one can tell you that you can't do something. I don't know where I'm heading but I just want to keep walking. As far as the Global Citizen Festival in New York is concerned, I'm very excited. There are going to be some amazing performances. I'm co-hosting with Hugh Jackman, Salma Hayek Pinault and Neil Patrick Harris among others. Because of the Hindi film industry, I've got the opportunity to be on many global platforms, so I know my job and have trained well. What's more exciting is that I'm going to talk about the Global Citizen Festival India on stage tonight. The concert in Mumbai will be very entertaining. Apart from international artistes, Aamir Khan, Farhan Akhtar and Katrina Kaif will also be a part of it.
How will this initiative help India?
What's special about this campaign is that it gives people the ability to empower themselves. I think it's important to have a concert like this in the country. The idea is to end extreme poverty by 2030. The initiative will focus on quality education, gender equality, and clean water and sanitation among other things. It's tough, but at least people have taken an initiative to advocate to the crowd who will attend the concert. The tickets aren't free; you will actually have to earn them by doing tasks. So, this isn't just a event where celebrities will come and sing. That is just the reward. It's the start of a movement.
Do you really think change can begin from a single individual?
Yes. It's easy for us to just sit in our houses, twiddle our thumbs and ask, 'What has this country done for me?' Nobody ever asks what have they done for their country. Like Mahatma Gandhi said, be the change you wish to see. I believe in that. I'm someone who takes the bull by the horn " my career and life are examples of that. If you decide in your head that you want to make a change " whether for yourself, the people around you, the country or even the world " you can achieve it.
Among the various social causes that you support, you're passionately involved in issues related to the girl child.
It's astonishing that we're in 2016 and even today, women are looked down as second-class citizens. When women achieve something, it's received with so much surprise! The gender disparity is unbelievable, especially in India. People discriminate against their daughters and it saddens me because I come from a family where there was no such disparity. My father always let me do what I wanted to and didn't expect me to conform to stereotypes. My grandmother used to tell me that I would never get married because I didn't know how to make parathas. Luckily, my dad would tell her 'She doesn't need to know how to cook; she's going to change the world. So, I will send a cook along with her.' I hope that people start treating their daughters as symbols of honour. We should give women the opportunity to stand on their feet and change the world.
After presenting at the Oscars and Emmys this year, you're now going to be hosting alongside some of the biggest Hollywood celebrities. You're on a roll...
I keep setting higher standards for myself. I'm my own competition. My aim is to raise the bar and shatter the glass ceiling. I've always believed that no one can tell you that you can't do something. I don't know where I'm heading but I just want to keep walking. As far as the Global Citizen Festival in New York is concerned, I'm very excited. There are going to be some amazing performances. I'm co-hosting with Hugh Jackman, Salma Hayek Pinault and Neil Patrick Harris among others. Because of the Hindi film industry, I've got the opportunity to be on many global platforms, so I know my job and have trained well. What's more exciting is that I'm going to talk about the Global Citizen Festival India on stage tonight. The concert in Mumbai will be very entertaining. Apart from international artistes, Aamir Khan, Farhan Akhtar and Katrina Kaif will also be a part of it.
How will this initiative help India?
What's special about this campaign is that it gives people the ability to empower themselves. I think it's important to have a concert like this in the country. The idea is to end extreme poverty by 2030. The initiative will focus on quality education, gender equality, and clean water and sanitation among other things. It's tough, but at least people have taken an initiative to advocate to the crowd who will attend the concert. The tickets aren't free; you will actually have to earn them by doing tasks. So, this isn't just a event where celebrities will come and sing. That is just the reward. It's the start of a movement.
Do you really think change can begin from a single individual?
Yes. It's easy for us to just sit in our houses, twiddle our thumbs and ask, 'What has this country done for me?' Nobody ever asks what have they done for their country. Like Mahatma Gandhi said, be the change you wish to see. I believe in that. I'm someone who takes the bull by the horn " my career and life are examples of that. If you decide in your head that you want to make a change " whether for yourself, the people around you, the country or even the world " you can achieve it.
Among the various social causes that you support, you're passionately involved in issues related to the girl child.
It's astonishing that we're in 2016 and even today, women are looked down as second-class citizens. When women achieve something, it's received with so much surprise! The gender disparity is unbelievable, especially in India. People discriminate against their daughters and it saddens me because I come from a family where there was no such disparity. My father always let me do what I wanted to and didn't expect me to conform to stereotypes. My grandmother used to tell me that I would never get married because I didn't know how to make parathas. Luckily, my dad would tell her 'She doesn't need to know how to cook; she's going to change the world. So, I will send a cook along with her.' I hope that people start treating their daughters as symbols of honour. We should give women the opportunity to stand on their feet and change the world.
Will we see you share the stage with Coldplay and Jay Z at the Mumbai concert?
I am upset and annoyed that I won't be able to attend the fest. That's because I'm shooting in New York and will return to India only in December. Once I wrap up the second season of my American TV show, I will pack up everything in the US and come back to Mumbai. I am feeling very homesick.
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