Quantico producers ABC Studios apologise for controversial Indian terrorist episode; defend Priyanka Chopra

American television studio ABC has apologised to Indian fans of its crime drama Quantico after an episode featuring Indian nationalists trying to frame Pakistan in a terrorist plot sparked online outrage against Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, who plays a lead role in the show. “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,” said Walt Disney-owned ABC in its statement. [caption id=“attachment_4503225” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Priyanka Chopra in Quantico. ABC Studios[/caption] The 35-year-old actress is one of the rare Bollywood stars to have crossed over and achieved success in Hollywood. After the recent Quantico episode, Priyanka has faced online attacks at home, and even some calls to boycott her work and the brands that she endorses, including South Korean giant Samsung Electronics Co. Others called on the government to black out the scene where Priyanka, who stars as an FBI agent in the series, holds up sacred Hindu prayer beads as evidence that the plotter in the episode, planning to detonate a nuclear bomb in New York, was an Indian nationalist. ABC, in its statement, said Priyanka has no involvement in the storylines depicted in the series. “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,” ABC said in a statement on Friday. They also stressed that Quantico is a work of fiction. Quantico will not be getting a fourth season as the show was cancelled after its currently airing the third season. With inputs from Reuters