Rise And Fall 2 runner up Priyanka Chahar Choudhary has expressed her displeasure over the remarks made by winner Shehzaad Poonawalla during their altercation on the reality show. The actress recently addressed the controversy in an interaction with the media, questioning the tendency to associate the term ‘gold digger’ with women while rarely using it for men.
Priyanka, who found herself at the receiving end of Shehzaad’s comment during one of the episodes, strongly disagreed with the label and highlighted the double standards surrounding it. Speaking about the situation, she explained that a woman being with a financially well settled partner does not automatically make her someone who is interested in money. She said, “Ek normal si ladki hai aur agar usko prince charming mil jata hai toh us ladki ko gold digger thodi na kahenge.” She further questioned the criticism, adding, “She is blessed ki usko achha khaasa partner mila. Problem kya hai?”
The actress also made it clear that she finds the expression inappropriate and believes that it is unfairly directed towards women. Emphasising her point, Priyanka said, “I don’t like this word at all.” She then questioned why the same terminology is not commonly used for men who might be in relationships with financially independent or successful women.
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“Ladkon ke liye suna aapne gold digger? Nahi na? Exactly, toh aise relationships nahi hain jahan ladkiyan bahut earn kar rahi hain,” she remarked. Priyanka further urged people to reconsider their approach towards such relationships, concluding her response with, “Come on guys, grow up.”
For the uninitiated, the controversy dates back to September 2026, when Priyanka and Shehzaad got into a heated argument inside the Rise And Fall 2 house. Their equation had reportedly deteriorated after Priyanka distanced herself from Shehzaad following his disagreement with fellow contestant Siwet Tomar. During a subsequent exchange, Priyanka referred to Shehzaad as a ‘manchild’ in front of Raj Grover.
Shehzaad responded by making a remark about her being a ‘gold digger’, saying, “Gold digger bhi suna hoga. Gold digger to bahut hi common hai.” The comment left Priyanka visibly upset. She later opened up about the incident while speaking to Swara Bhasker, revealing that the remark had affected her to such an extent that she could not sleep the entire night. She also pointed out that she was the one financially supporting her family.
While Shehzaad eventually went on to lift the Rise And Fall 2 trophy, Priyanka finished the competition as the first runner up. Gautam Gulati secured the second runner up position.
