Priyanka, Nick 'seal relationship' with Indian ceremony
Mumbai, Aug 18 : Actress Priyanka Chopra and American singer Nick Jonas on Saturday solemnised their relationship with a traditional Indian ceremony in the presence of their close family and friends here.
The ceremony, held at Priyanka's residence, follows months of speculations around the relationship status of Priyanka, 36, and Nick, 25. The photographs from the ceremony did the rounds on social media, but an official statement or update from the celebrities is still awaited.
The former beauty queen was dressed in a subtle yellow designer ensemble, and Nick wore a pristine white kurta churidar as he performed the 'puja'.
One of the photographs shows Nick cosying up to Priyanka, who holds on to him, as they stand against a green background with a logo that reads 'NP' -- merged together to denote the amalgamation of the first letter of both their names.
The increased activity at Priyanka's residence since the past two to three days had indicated preparations for a celebration. On Friday evening, people were busy decking up the semi-circular balcony with green foliage.
The paparazzi stationed outside the building captured a priest making his way into the house, as well as Priyanka's cousin Parineeti Chopra -- who too was dressed in yellow -- apart from a slew of relatives.
A party for close friends is likely to follow on Saturday evening. Nick arrived here on Thursday night with his parents -- mother Denise and father Kevin Jonas Sr in tow.
The Jonas patriarch even carried a big Tiffany & Co. bag in his hand, fuelling the rumours about the formal ceremony to celebrate the couple's engagement.
According to international media reports, Tiffany is the jeweller that closed down its London store for Nick to buy an engagement ring for Priyanka, and reportedly the two got engaged on Priyanka's birthday last month on the 18th.
Her sparkler is said to be a five-carat diamond with a price tag of around $300,000, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
On Friday night, Priyanka, Nick and close family members stepped out for a dinner. Priyanka was seen proudly flaunting the rock as she made her way into a hotel, hand-in-hand with Nick, looking visibly elated.
Priyanka is a former Miss World, who established her space in the Hindi film industry with a slew of impressive projects like "Fashion", "Mary Kom", "Barfi!", "Bajirao Mastani" and "7 Khoon Maaf". She forayed into the international showbiz world with a singing career, and eventually landed the lead role in American TV show "Quantico".
It gave her a launchpad that pushed her presence in the global entertainment universe. She made her Hollywood debut with "Baywatch", followed by "A Kid Like Jake". She will also be seen in "Isn't It Romantic?"
Nick is a popular singer and has also acted in "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", as well as done TV shows like "Hannah Montana", "Camp Rock" and "Scream Queens".
The two have been creating a buzz since a joint appearance at the Met Gala red carpet in 2017, leaving everyone wondering whether they were dating.
At the Met Gala, Priyanka had just laughed off a romance with Jonas, insisting they simply shared an agent and were friends. She had also said they went to the Met Gala together as they were both wearing ensembles by Ralph Lauren.
In December last year, Jonas, while promoting "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", had expressed a desire to visit India.
"I've never been (to India), but I'm dying to go and I have now heard from Priyanka, my new friend, a lot about it," Jonas had told IANS in a statement.
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No govt protection, claims actress who accused CPI(M)'s Mukesh of sexual abuse
Kochi (PTI): A 51-year-old Malayalam actress who had levelled sexual abuse allegations against several male actors, including CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh, on Friday said she was not keen on pursuing her complaints due to "lack of support and protection from the Kerala government".
The complainant also alleged "carelessness" on the part of the state government and said she was "mentally exhausted" and therefore, not keen on taking the complaints forward.
"I would like to tell everyone that due to the government's carelessness and lack of protection for a woman who has come forward like this, I have suffered more than I can handle. I am mentally exhausted. They are not helping or protecting a woman.
"Therefore, I do not want to pursue the cases. It is not because I have compromised with anyone," she told reporters.
She claimed that she was made an accused in a POCSO case following her complaints against the actors, also including Maniyanpilla Raju and Idavela Babu, and the government did nothing to protect her.
"I am innocent. I want justice. I want the POCSO case against me to be probed thoroughly and quickly. If I commit suicide, the government will be responsible for it," she said.
The Muvattupuzha police had registered the case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, against the woman actor based on a complaint lodged by her relative.
According to the police, the incident occurred in 2014. The relative has alleged that she was a minor at the time of the incident and that the actor was running a sex racket.
The actor had vehemently denied the allegations and claimed that the woman relative owed her some money, and these allegations were to shift attention from her complaint against the high-profile actors.
The actress' allegations against the actors came in the wake of the disclosure of the Justice Hema Committee report which revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry, prompting calls for action against the guilty.
The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case.
The complete report was placed before the Kerala High Court which directed that it be handed over to the special investigation team (SIT) that was constituted to probe complaints of sexual abuse in the film industry.
Subsequently, 26 FIRs were registered by the SIT in connection with the revelations in the report.
