Recently, Priyanka Chopra praised Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, a Pakistani filmmaker, for being selected as the first person of color and first woman to direct a Star Wars film. However, Adnan Siddiqui, a Pakistani actor, has tweeted and questioned why would Priyanka be referring to Sharmeen as “South Asian” and not Pakistani.
Taking to Twitter, Adnan, who costarred in the late Sridevi’s 2017 film Mom, shared a screenshot of Priyanka’s Instagram story about Sharmeen and wrote, “With due respect, @priyankachopra Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is a Pakistani first just to brush up your knowledge. Much like the way you flaunt your Indian nationality whenever you get the opportunity before claiming to be a South Asian.🙏🏽.”
Priyanka, who is gearing up for the release of her Amazon Prime web-series Citadel, had given a shoutout to Sharmeen for helming the upcoming Star Wars movie. In her Instagram story, “First person of colour and first woman to direct a Star Wars film… And she’s South Asian!! What a historic moment @sharmeenobaidchinoy. So so proud of you my friend. May the force be with you!.”
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight inequality for women. Obaid-Chinoy received her bachelor’s degree in economics and government, and went on to earn two master’s degrees from Stanford University. She returned to Pakistan and launched her career as a filmmaker and rose to international fame with awards and recognition for her work.
