Bengaluru: Actress Illeana D’Cruz today said it is nice that Bollywood and South Indian filmstars have been invited to perform at a mega concert in the US to boost the electoral fortunes of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump but maintained she would not support his candidature.
“Bollywood is known worldwide and the stars are very popular and hence it is nice (that the Bollywood stars also are performing at the event),” she told PTI after the launch of La Senza store here.
“But if you are asking me if I support Donald Trump? I don’t,” she added.
Asked whether she would perform at such electoral campaigns in the US, the “Rustom” star said, “Whenever I take up any kind of endorsement or any kind of event, I do so with a lot of background research. I think, if it works, it is great for them (those participating).”
According to reports, seven Bollywood and South Indian actors including Mallaika Arora, Prabhu Deva, Shriya Saran, Akhil Akkineni and Ram Charan, will be performing at the concert in New Jersey to give a legup to Trump’s campaign by reaching out to the Indian community to enlist support for him.
A US-based Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) is holding the event on October 15 where Trump will deliver a keynote address.The proceeds from the event will be shared between Kashmiri Pandits, Bangladeshi Hindus and other terror victims in the recent past, according to reports.
Asked if it is the beginning of a crisis in Bollywood with Walt Disney reportedly deciding to shut its Hindi filmmaking business after suffering losses from “Mohenjo Daro” and “Fitoor”, Illeana said, “I don’t think there is a crisis of any sort happening in Bollywood. I think there are so many films that are doingwell, which were appreciated not only by the media, but alsothe critics.”
“Look at films like ‘Dhoni’ and ‘Pink’, they have done goodbusiness. So, I think there is a massive amount of success,and I love the way they are experimenting. I don’t thinkthere is a problem with the films and their success rate,”Illeana added.
La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer based in Dorval, Quebec that sells lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by L Brands which operates and owns La Senza stores in Canada.
PTI