In the past few months, we have witnessed one of the biggest movements against the forceful enforcement of the hijab by the authorities in Iran. The movement started drawing global attention when Mahsa Amini was killed in custody after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police. Women from different countries, including many celebrities, have extended their solidarity to the protesting women in Iran. Priyanka Chopra wrote a lengthy post on Instagram, advocating that women have a right to make their own decisions.
In February, a school in Karnataka barred a group of girls from entering college because of their decision to wear the hijab. This led to widespread protests. Soon enough, the issue was politicised and the girls had to file a writ petition in the high court. The parallel with Iran lies in the fact that authorities in both countries are denying women autonomy over their own bodies.
While it was heartening to see Priyanka Chopra standing up for the rights of women in Iran, one can’t help but wonder why she failed to extend similar solidarity for the minority women in her own country.
This is not the first time Priyanka Chopra has ignored the raging issues in India. In 2018, she had visited Rohingya refugees as the Unicef’s Goodwill Ambassador. But when India was under the grip of anti-CAA-NRC protests, there was not a word from her regarding the enforcement of an Act that, it was alleged, would lead to the disfranchisement of a community and turn it into refugees. In May 2020, Priyanka Chopra sent out a powerful message in support of George Floyd, who was a victim of police brutality in the United States of America. But what skipped her attention were the numerous acts of police violence during the Delhi riots, many of which were recorded on camera and widely circulated. It is thus difficult to ignore when Priyanka Chopra indulges in seasonal activism, circumventing issues such as the release of rape convicts in the Bilkis Bano case, the partisan conduct of the police during the Hathras incident, and multiple incidents of lynching and harassment of minorities over the past few years.
It may not be possible for a person to speak about every act of oppression around the world. But when a person is bestowed with the kind of power and influence that the actress has, you would expect her to begin with her own country when she decides to speak up.
During the Black Lives Matter movement, some Indian celebrities — Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar, among others — had jumped on the bandwagon of activism. It appears that it is easy for them to condemn something that happens in a different continent but not transgressions in their own backyard. Meanwhile, Anupam Kher, Akshay Kumar and Kangana Ranaut make no bones about the fact that they would only speak about issues that serve the purpose of India’s ruling party. Barring a few, Indian celebrities are not particularly known for taking a stand on the burning issues in the country. Is this because of a threat — real or perceived? It is unlikely that a Meryl Streep would rise amongst them.
Naom Chomsky had once written, “...[T]he ethical value of one’s actions depends on their anticipated and predictable consequences. It is very easy to denounce the atrocities of someone else. That has about as much ethical value as denouncing atrocities that took place in the 18th century.” Shouldn’t Priyanka Chopra and her tribe introspect?
