Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; July 14, 2017)

While the who’s who of Bollywood is headed to New York for the 18th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, Priyanka Chopra slipped into Mumbai on Thursday morning. Considering PeeCee has made the Big Apple her home over the last two years, it’s surprising that she flew back to Mumbai at a time when the awards are happening in her backyard.

Explaining her absence from the awards gala, a source says, “With [American series] Quantico and some international films, like Isn’t It Romantic? and A Kid Like Jake in her kitty, Priyanka now considers herself a Hollywood star. She perhaps thought it best to stay away from IIFA this year.”

When mid-day got in touch with her spokesperson, she said, “Priyanka had not made any commitment to the awards show organisers, so there’s no question of her skipping it. She’s in Mumbai as her Marathi production, Kay Re Rascala, releases today. PeeCee and her mother Madhu will address the media at a Juhu five-star this evening.”

The actress is slated to leave Mumbai on Sunday, well after the awards event wraps up in New York.