Celebrities become soft targets: Priyanka Chopra

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra admits that she doesn't know much about the controversy regarding Shah Rukh Khan's comments on being a Muslim. However, she says people often use celebrities to "advance their propagandas".

"I believe that people often use celebrities to advance their propagandas. Celebrities have become a soft target nowadays," Priyanka said at a press conference to unveil the video of her single "In My City".

In the Outlook Turning Points magazine, published in association with The New York Times newspaper, Shah Rukh gave a first person account on being a Muslim.

The writeup led Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed to state that the star could move to Pakistan if he does not feel safe in India. To that, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik said  India should provide security to Shah Rukh.

Priyanka, who has worked with Shah Rukh in films like "Don" (2006) and "Don 2" (2011), says the media should report matters carefully. "The press should not get trapped in all this and must report the truth," she said.

Priyanka, who is otherwise seen to be very friendly with the press, seemed to get ruffled while being questioned on the issue.

Asked if she would have got involved with more controversies if her surname would have been 'Khan', she said: "I get into controversies with 'Chopra' too. A big deal is being made out of nothing. You should be ashamed to even ask such a question in a country as secular as India."