Meet Diana Chopra. Why the celebrity dog became such a thing in Hollywood, but never took off in Bollywood

No, Diana Chopra is not third in line after Priyanka Chopra and Parineeti Chopra, waiting to be launched by Yash Raj Films. She, in fact, is doing exceedingly well in Hollywood, thank you very much. Need proof? She has 93.5k followers on Instagram.

But you really know she is a star when you realise she is following just four people back — Nick Jonas, Isha Ambani, Madhu Chopra and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

Diana is PeeCee’s pooch and Priyanka believes — pooch nahin toh kuch nahin.

When Paris Hilton rose to fame, Tinkerbell was her most favourite accessory. Quite literally. She was seen carrying around her pet Chihuahua in her purse, notably kicking off the trend of ‘handbag dogs.’

Of course, she had some help from Britney Spears, who Did It Again, like Hilton, with three pet Chihuahuas.

Since then, Hollywood celebs and the paparazzi have established an unlikely fondness for these little fur balls. Can you blame them? They’re so photogenic, Kim Kardashian almost gave up contouring because she knew she’d never look that good.

So when post-wedding Pri was recently spotted clutching Diana under her arms, instead of Nick, the paps went berserk and set off on a clicking frenzy that can only be compared to what happens when Taimur Ali Khan emergences on the balcony of his suburban Mumbai apartment for some swing time.

Now, why is Diana not as popular in Bollywood as she is in Hollywood?

Pooch pooch hota hai, Bollywood, tum nahin samjhoge.

We’re blaming Hindi cinema, patriarchy, neighbourhood aunties, and while we’re at it, the ‘gormint’ too, for this dog-astrophe!

For starters, we’ve grown up wanting to gulp down every ounce of the blood of a ‘kutte-kaminey’ and have been ceremoniously warned that one is not supposed to dance in front of, you’ve guessed it right, ‘kutte!’

So basically, kutta = a derogatory reference one would fling at someone they dislike. And, in a society like ours, where we fail to still recognise women as equal to men, thanks to years of systematic conditioning, how can we possibly rise above that?

And that’s patriarchy. In case you didn’t get it.

Also, a woman going around with a man’s best friend is against our Sanskaars.

Our neighbourhood aunties, on the other hand, have killed our desire to come home to excited eyes and endless questions, since we get more than the stipulated dose at the doorstep itself. You get?

And lastly, the ‘gormint’ because blaming everything on it is our favourite pastime, anyway.

Which is why Diana is happy in Hollywood.

She is seen having a paw-some time on Instagram — her love for big coats, long naps and warm cuddles are the stuff sepia filters are made of.

To be honest, India is not ready for Diana, neither was Britain, but whatever.

We’re just going to go back to our celebrity baby craze and nepotism-bashing, not realising that it’s two sides of the same coin. Uff!

I mean, woof!

Also read: Why Priya Prakash and Sapna Choudhary are more searched on Google than Priyanka Chopra