Conflicting views made me quit: Priyanka Upendra

Bengaluru: Actress Priyanka Upendra, wife of Kannada actor and filmmaker Upendra, on Saturday clarified that it was the conflicting views and ideologies which made her resign from Film Industry for Rights & Equality (FIRE).

Priyanka, who has also acted in other languages, including Malayalam, made it clear that her resignation from FIRE, which she had joined in January 2017, has nothing to with her links with Association of Malayalam Movies Artists (AMMA) or Malayalam actor Dileep, with whom she had acted in past.

“The concept of having an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) appealed to me as well as many like-minded ones, and thus when Chethan approached me with the idea of an organisation that helps everyone in the Kannada Film Industry cope with sexual harassment and other issues, it appealed to me a great deal,” Priyanka stated in her social media post.

As for her stand on AMMA, she said that she wanted time to understand the current situation and wanted to do something substantial, which would benefit the cause.

“I did tell Chethan that I had worked with Dileep, but that had nothing do with this issue. I just wanted some time to assess and understand the situation first, so as to know how our organisation could be involved properly and significantly as it pertained to the Malayalam film industry,” she explained, adding that she gave her consent to go ahead with the letter addressing AMMA.

“This was in no way connected to my decision to leave FIRE. Allegations that I was not comfortable, as I knew Dileep, are completely untrue.”

“... Because of conflicting views and ideologies, I have decided not to be a part of FIRE. I wish them all the best in their future efforts,” she stated.