So trolls, why are you screaming questions like “whaaat”, “can’t be true,” “isn’t he too youngIJ” and like medieval era in-laws are intolerant of desi girl Priyanka Chopra’s choice of firangi friend and now one of her “favourite men” Nick JonasIJ Why is it that age difference is such a matter of concern when women have married partners many years their junior in both Hollywood and BollywoodIJ Have we bothered to ask the same question to actor Ranbir Kapoor, who is self-confessedly dating Alia Bhatt 10 years his juniorIJ Then why make Pee Cee a devouring cougarIJ We thought companionship is ageless and in this case, the Chopra-Jonas match has manifested itself as “mature,” “easy-going” and anything but conditional.
Perhaps, it is something else that is prickling sensibilities. There is little doubt that Chopra has managed to be the alpha female of stardom, a territory so far reserved for the male of the species. She chose to migrate to the West at the height of her stardom and decided to helm a TV show as its protagonist for three seasons. She has changed the diversity debate in Hollywood studios that so far had caricatured South Asians and with Alex Parrish, she rescued the collective pride of immigrants across the spectrum. She is our first international star, straddling the commercial world of Hollywood and Bollywood and spanning many brands and causes in between. Most importantly, by turning herself into a valued item of talent export, she never forgot to import ideas that have helped her, as head of her own production house, to promote meaningful regional cinema and win a national award for it too. Pee Cee is a sum of many parts and Jonas, howsoever significant he might be at this point, can never define her. So let her be.