Priyanka Chopra: I have a lot of dreams for India’s girls

Bollywood’s Desi Girl Priyanka Chopra is an inspiration to many. The actress made it big in the world of entertainment not only on the domestic front but overseas too all thanks to her grit and determination. The’Quantico’ girl who is also a Unicef goodwill ambassador, says she would like to see a change in the mindset of those who devalue a girl child. She is not happy that women have always been considered second-class citizens globally.

Priyanka was in the capital city to attend the curtain-raiser of The Partners’ Forum, a platform for learning and exchange between countries and partners to improve the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents. It was hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) and support of other partners.

In an exclusive interview to IANS, Priyanka opened up on being asked to comment on the changes she has noticed among people towards women and the girl child in India. She said, “We are living in an extremely patriarchal society, not just in India, but in the whole world. Women have always been second-class citizens. We have to fight to get opportunities, to become a leader (but) the one thing that I have seen is that now women are not willing to settle (for less) any more, and that’s the big difference.”

“It’s not like the world is going to change in 10 years. Hopefully, I will see it in my lifetime. But if not, (it should change) for the next generation. That’s what I am hoping. I love the tenacity… of seeing women supporting each other, of women turning around and telling that ‘it’s wrong’.

“The fact is we are living in the era of social media, you are not alone. There’s good and bad in everything, but in this case, you are not alone and that is the biggest change. You see more men standing up for women and saying ‘that’s wrong’, but there is yet a lot of work to be done globally,” she added.

Priyanka finds it wonderful how women have an innate ability to fulfill different roles.

“Women have the ability to take care, get married, have children and work at the same time. They make sure that the house is taken care of, but at the same time they go out and meet their dreams. All they need is someone to stand with them and say, ‘Yes, you can’, and that will come when families, husbands, fathers and mothers start teaching their children that it is going to be all right.

“Of course, women should settle down, men should settle down, have babies, but that shouldn’t be the end of a girl’s life. It should be the beginning. You should marry in a home that allows you to have wings and the parents need to make sure of that,” said Priyanka.

Girls need to be valued, stressed the actress.

“I have a lot of dreams. I don’t want any child to go to sleep hungry, but the big change I want to see is girl children should not be treated as a commodity… (used) just for reproduction. I want to see a change where we invest in our girls, where we treat them and give them the opportunity to have merit to prove themselves.

“At least we should give that chance to her. Devaluation of girls is something that I want to see change,” she said.

On the work front the Diva is busy wrapping the third instalment of her hit television show ‘Quantico’.