Video: Was Priyanka Chopra shopping in Dubai over the weekend?

Imagine being obese, having low self-confidence and being called "fat". Then, one day everyone around you starts saying that you resemble Hollywood and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra.
You'd think they are teasing you, yes? After all, Priyanka is a former Miss World, she's taken over Hollywood and is now engaged to Nick Jonas - she's a superstar!
Well, in the case of Indian expat Prachi Thakur, they really meant it. Prachi has recently moved to Dubai and is working as a personal trainer - a profession she thought she'd never have, considering she weighed over 100kg just last year.
Now that she has shed more than 30kg, her colleagues, friends, family and people she meets, tell her that she's a "Priyanka Chopra lookalike", which is a label the 23-year-old was shocked to hear and continuously denies to accept.

That is until Khaleej Times took her out to City Centre Deira and performed a social experiment, where we dressed her up as the celebrity and organized bodyguards around her to see if the public would also feel that she is a Priyanka lookalike. To her surprise, more than 30 unknown people approached her for selfie requests, thinking that she was the real Priyanka.
Even though a few people were doubtful and just walked past without a second look at the Priyanka lookalike, Prachi resiliently kept strolling around the mall with her bodyguards.
"I was really nervous about the outcome. I didn't think anyone would buy the stunt and that they would just walk away laughing. Initially, when people started coming up to me, I thought maybe they're just being nice, but, then the 'fans' went wild. I think they actually believed I was Priyanka," Prachi said, who hopes to find her own version of Nick Jonas one day now that she has transformed physically after losing weight.
Prachi's journey of losing weight has not been an easy one. Battling with low self-esteem, Prachi always thought that she is "not good-looking".
She performed extreme crash diets several times each year, where she ate only an apple each day. She was desperate to lose weight.
"I was very low on energy, so emotional, so cranky all the time. This continued for about 17 days and I lost about 8kgs. But, eventually I had to come back to a normal diet and it took me approximately two months to eat like a normal person," she said.
"I have always been trying to reduce weight since I was in school. I used to put a lot of effort every summer vacation. Even though I've lost weight, I still suffer from low self-confidence, mainly because out of fear from what will they think of me."
It wasn't until one and a half year ago when Prachi decided to completely dedicate her time to a proper fitness plan. She adopted a healthy lifestyle, including gym and a diet plan, and began her fitness journey. Now, she is at a healthy weight for her age and height.
After losing weight, Prachi moved to Dubai to work as a personal trainer at a gym. She was shocked when her clients, new friends and even her manager started saying that she looks a lot like Priyanka Chopra. However, because Prachi still struggles with low self-esteem, she did not take their word.
"I didn't believe anyone that told me I look like her. I thought they were just being nice and joking around with me," she said.
Prachi has a message for girls struggling with weight problems and low confidence.
"I understand what you are going through, how you feel and how insecurities always come in your way when you want to do something. You are not overreacting or overthinking this. But you are not supposed to let anyone make you feel inferior without your permission. You got this, and you'll do it," she said.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com