Mumbai: Actress Priyanka Chopra has apologised for an episode in her American TV series “Quantico” which portrayed Indian nationalists as terrorists who were trying to frame Pakistan in a terror plot.
In the episode, Priyanka, who plays Alex Parrish, is an anti-terrorist officer who plots a nuclear attack in Manhattan to frame Pakistan for it, just days before an India-Pakistan summit is to be held. The episode drew intense criticism from Indian fans.
“I’m extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of ‘Quantico’. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I’m a proud Indian and that will never change,” Priyanka tweeted on Sunday.
According to reports, the episode titled “The Blood of Romeo”, aired on June 1. Priyanka’s character, FBI agent Alex Parrish, thwarts a terror plot just days before a summit between India and Pakistan is to be held.
During her investigations, Parrish finds a religious Hindu symbol — a Rudraksh chain — on the neck of one of the suspects leading her to conclude that the plot was devised by Indian nationalists to frame Pakistan in a nuclear terror attack.
The producers at the US network ABC Studios that airs the show also extended an apology on Saturday, saying they regret stepping into “a complex political issue”, and they did not intend to offend anyone.
The statement read: “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.”
They also stressed that “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,” the statement read further. “Quantico” will not be getting a fourth season. The third season is on air in India on Star World. The cast also included Jake McLaughlin, Johanna Braddy, Russell Tovey, Alan Powell, Marlee Matlin and Blair Underwood.
