NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Priyanka Chopra hit back at critics Wednesday for trying to shame her over a dress she wore during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The actress was accused of “disrespecting” the prime minister by wearing a knee-length dress revealing her lower legs during an audience with Modi in Berlin.
Chopra was attacked on social media by critics who found the outfit unsuitable for the occasion, with many offended the 34-year-old star had not chosen to wear Indian attire. But the star of the hit American spy thriller “Quantico” was unapologetic, hitting back with a photo showing her and her mother wearing short dresses with the caption “legs for days.... #itsthegenes.”
The former Miss World describes herself as a “strong-willed feminist” who has campaigned to close the gender pay gap in Bollywood and change attitudes toward women in her home country.
“For so many years women were told to act a certain way, to dress a certain way, to think a certain way, even not to think at all,” Chopra told AFP in an interview last year.
“People misconstrue the word feminism. It is not hating men, or making men small. It is just saying, ‘We want our independence to make our own choices the way men have done for so long.’“
Chopra has been landing bigger roles in Hollywood since boosting her international profile through “Quantico.” The actress has been cast as a villain in the newly-released “Baywatch” film.
Priyanka Chopra dresses down critics over meet with PM
Priyanka Chopra dresses down critics over meet with PM
Trunk snapped off famed Bernini statue in Rome square
ROME, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A marble elephant designed by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini has been damaged, with its left tusk found snapped off and lying at the base of the monument in the heart of Rome, authorities said.
The damage was uncovered on Monday night and police said they would review video footage from Piazza della Minerva to determine whether the tusk was vandalised or simply fell off following weeks of unusually heavy rains.
Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli made clear he thought it was deliberate, saying the 17th statue, which supports an ancient Egyptian obelisk, was victim of an "absurd act of barbarity".
"It is unacceptable that once again the nation's artistic and cultural heritage must suffer such serious damage," he said in a statement.
It is not the first time the sculpture, popularly known as the Elefantino (little elephant), has been damaged.
In November 2016, the tip of the same tusk was similarly found broken off. The piece was reattached during restoration work.
The sculpture, created in 1667 by Ercole Ferrata based on a design by Bernini, stands a short distance from the Pantheon, one of most visited tourist sites in Rome. (Reporting by Francesca Piscioneri, editing by Crispian Balmer)
