Priyanka Chopra is always in the news for one reason or another. The Bollywood and Hollywood star has a massive following across the globe. This time, however, she was giving a positive message related to Coronavirus. She shared the message on all her social media accounts, but some people couldn’t wrap their heads around it.
‘Namaste’ is Priyanka’s advice
Namaste is a traditional way of greeting among Hindus. It involves bringing the palm together before the face, while gently bowing. It’s a pretty common tradition all over India, so Priyanka Chopra saw fit to share it on her socials as a cure to Coronavirus.
https://twitter.com/priyankachopra/status/1238193136762929152?s=20
Honestly, it’s a good way of spreading awareness about your culture and fighting COVID-19 simultaneously. And it’s not like the Quantico and The Sky is Pink star can tweet this kind of stuff in a jiffy (Unlike a certain someone who lives on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.). There’s usually a big team behind such posts. However, some people on twitter did not take it very well.
A bit of backlash
Many people replied to her tweet, complaining that she made it about herself. After all, we’re talking about a global pandemic here. They say she shouldn’t have made it about herself or her culture at such a sensitive time. And most of the people complaining were Indians themselves. These are some of the popular replies underneath Priyanka Chopra’s tweet:
Could she be more cringe?
— Jubin Jacob (@jubin_93) March 13, 2020
The post was the excuse to put up the slideshow
— نتاشا Natasha (@nuts2406) March 13, 2020
Why must you hijack namaste for your publicity thingamig…
— Sukanya Ghosh (@SuksGhosh) March 12, 2020
However, she isn’t the only one being scrutinized in all this. Some other stars have done something similar too, like Paul Pogba:
#Dab to beat #coronavirus. Follow @WHO advice to Be Ready for #COVID19 https://t.co/Ej0FqcHbj5 pic.twitter.com/4DhQ7NsZYk
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) March 13, 2020
A dab is one of Pogba’s trademark celebrations. And in all honesty, it does manage to look even more ridiculous. So, do the tweeps have a point against Priyanka Chopra? Perhaps!
The thing about a global pandemic is that it is a sensitive issue. Many people’s lives are at stake here. Yes, spreading awareness about not shaking hands and promoting your culture in the way is okay. But with these tweets, it looks more like self-promotion rather than awareness. And that is like making a profit off of other people’s miseries.
Moreover, Priyanka Chopra doesn’t have the best of track records when it comes to humanitarian causes. Priyanka was severely criticized for supporting India’s Armed Forces in their clash with Pakistan last year. And it did not look good at all.
Jai Hind #IndianArmedForces 🇮🇳 🙏🏽
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) February 26, 2019
This was particularly because she is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. It’s very hypocritical for an ambassador of peace to take a side in a bilateral conflict. It’s because of controversies like these that make people question her intentions. And it’s no different in the current Coronavirus Pandemic either. Therefore, the tweets might have a legitimate claim in this matter. We do hope that wasn’t her intention in the first place.
