Priyanka Chopra's American TV show Quantico was recently in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. It received major flak from Indian audience for a particular episode, The Blood of Romeo which showed Indian nationalists framing against Pakistan in a terror plot. PeeCee, who plays Alex Parrish, foils a plot by Indian nationalists who want to carry out a nuclear attack in Manhattan and frame Pakistan. This episode invited wrath against the makers, the network and Priyanka.
Now, ABC Network has offered an apology to the fans over the episode.
"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.
The apology is raising eyebrows as to why an otherwise vocal Priyanka chose to keep mum about the whole issue! However, despite the channel issuing an apology, Bangladeshi-American writer Sharbari Ahmed, who worked on the first season of the show, had expressed a day before that she is appalled by the reactions of Indian tweeters.
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Sharbari Ahmed[/caption]
In an interview with a leading daily, 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."
That was not all. Ahmed also defended Priyanka's stance of maintaining silence over the issue. "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!
With Indian audience perceiving that the scene shot by PeeCee was ‘anti-India’, let's wait if Priyanka steps out and address the issue. For the uninitiated, Quantico will go off air after season 3, due to low ratings. The show stars Priyanka Chopra as Alex Parrish, Jake McLaughlin as Ryan Booth, Johanna Braddy as Shelby Wyatt, Russell Tovey as Harry Doyle, Alan Powell as Mike McQuigg, with Marlee Matlin as Jocelyn Turner and Blair Underwood as Owen Hall.
