Was Parineeti Chopra lying when she said her family was not “financially well” when she was growing up?
That question was on everyone’s mind as a social media post went viral which claimed that the actor was not being entirely truthful when she spoke about her family’s financial status at a recent event with Akshay Kumar where she motivated children by sharing her own struggles as a teenager.
The actor said that she was not financially well off while growing up and even faced ‘eve-teasing’. However, a guy from Parineeti’s school, Convent of Jesus and Mary, in Ambala took to social media to bust her claims.
Kkanoo Gupta shared a Facebook post and said that actor comes from a privileged family and soon his post went viral.
Replying to his charges, Parineeti took to Twitter and clarified, “I would request everyone concerned to please not let menial things like this take precedence over what I was actually trying to say, about women’s safety and the challenges that we girls face while growing up.”
Parineeti earlier said during the event, “I am from a very small town Ambala. I faced a lot of difficulties while growing up. We weren’t financially well. I used to go to school by cycle because we didn’t have any car or driver.
I also faced eve-teasing. My dad used to come along with me to make sure I didn’t have to face them. I used to ask me parents: why did they send me on a cycle to school? We didn’t have money to join self-defense classes.”
Here’s what Kkanoo Gupta wrote on his Facebook page, “Parineeti Chopra Shame…….. coming from a privileged background and lying through the teeth in front of the camera. I guess this is what being a celebrity means. Create a fabricated sob story of no money no car etc. Coming from the same school I probably also remember the car her father used to have.
And going to school on a cycle was a trend those days and also a privilege, not everyone had. My friends from CJM would probably understand the lies a bit better. SIC.”
Read Parineeti Chopra’s clarification in full here
My statement few days ago has been misconstrued in some places, so I would like to take a moment and clarify what I meant.
As long as I was in school in Ambala my brothers and I did not have access to a car and driver to take us to school, so they took the bus and I cycled. My dad followed closely behind me to ensure I reached school safely.
My dad did have a car that he used for his office work but we kids did not use it for school travel. As a child I hated going on cycle! But today I understand that he was doing it to make me independent and keep me safe.
I was talking about using a car and driver to go to school that’s all. The essence of what and why I was giving that example was completely lost.
I am proud to be present at a time that girls are becoming stronger with training in martial arts. If I had such an opportunity back then, I know I would have felt much more confident!
I am responding now as I was travelling out of the country all this while. I would request everyone concerned to please not let menial things like this take precedence over what I was actually trying to say about women’s safety and the challenges that we girls face while growing up.