Indian star Priyanka Chopra, who has been making a name for herself in Hollywood, recently came out in support of the Pakistani movie Joyland, which has been shortlisted in the Best International Feature category at the Oscars. Joyland, helmed by Saim Sadiq, is the first-ever Pakistani feature to have made the Oscars' shortlist cut. It was shortlisted alongside the Indian entry, Chhello Show. Priyanka took to social media to share what she thought about the feature. She shared a clip from Joyland, and wrote, "Joyland is truly a joy to watch. Bravo to the entire team for bringing this story to life. It's a must watch." Joyland's team also reacted to Priyanka's post and thanked her for her support. Priyanka also shared two Instagram stories, applauding Indian movie RRR, for its incredible success. She was presumably photographed at one of the various screenings of the film being held in the US. The actor shared photos with filmmaker SS Rajamouli and composer MM Keeravani, writing, "Least I can do to contribute to this incredible Indian film's journey. Good luck and congratulations to the team." Later, Rajamouli took to social media to thank PeeCee, writing on his Instagram story, "You are a global superwoman, touched by your heartwarming words and intro. Thank you Priyanka for hosting our show and your kind wishes." After major box office success in India, RRR became a word-of-mouth hit in the West. It recently picked up a Golden Globe, and two Critics Choice Awards (for Best Original Song and Best Foreign Film). Meanwhile, Joyland, helmed and co-written by Saim, found support from actor-singer-producer Riz Ahmed, who ended up attaching himself to the project as an executive producer via his production banner Left Handed Films. In an earlier statement to Variety, Riz had opened up about Joyland and its ban in Pakistan, stating, "Joyland is ground-breaking. And it’s easy to get lost in all the ways that it is; the first Pakistani film at Cannes, the first award-winner, the first to be Oscar-shortlisted, and a queer love story that has overcome multiple obstacles to its release. But more important than any of the glass ceilings it smashes, is how this film so masterfully breaks our hearts.” The movie's main plotline revolves around a traditional Pakistani family's youngest son, who, unbeknownst to his family, takes up a job as a backup dancer in burlesque kind of theatre, where he ends up falling for a transgender person. The Pakistani government had said that it would ban the movie on grounds of 'objectionable content.' However, the film was also selected as the country's representative at the prestigious Oscars. Joyland released in Pakistan in November last year.
