Scolded by husband for filming English video, UP farmer wins Priyanka Chopra’s praise

Dubai: She was working in her field in a village in Uttar Pradesh when she decided to stop for a few minutes and record an English video.

Her husband wasn't impressed. He scolded her for making the video while she was supposed to be working.

Yashoda Lodhi recorded it anyway.

What happened next was something the woman behind the popular social media account “English with Dehati Madam” could hardly have imagined: Bollywood and Hollywood star Priyanka Chopra Jonas shared her video on her Instagram Story.

“And then something truly unexpected happened,” Yashoda recalled as she shared the story with her followers.

“Priyanka Chopra Jonas ma’am shared my video on her story, and she has made my day really special for me,” she said.

For Yashoda, who comes from a rural background and studied only up to Class 12, the recognition marked another milestone in an extraordinary social media journey built around a simple idea — helping ordinary people speak English with confidence.

Yashoda has built her following by teaching spoken English in a simple, accessible manner, particularly for people from rural and Hindi-speaking backgrounds who may feel uncomfortable speaking the language.

Her videos have struck a chord.

Her Instagram account now has more than 580,000 followers, while her YouTube channel has crossed 400,000 followers.

But Yashoda said she does not even have a television at home and does not closely follow celebrities. She therefore initially failed to grasp just how much attention her videos were receiving from prominent personalities.

It was her students who began telling her about the people noticing and appreciating her work.

“So when my students started telling me about all the wonderful people who appreciated my work, it truly touched my heart,” she said.

Priyanka wasn't the only Bollywood star to notice her.

Actor Mrunal Thakur also shared one of Yashoda's videos on her Instagram Story and praised her work. Actors Abhay Deol and R Madhavan have also shown support for her content.

But it was Priyanka's gesture that prompted an emotional response from Yashoda.

She later posted another video thanking the actor and reflecting on how far a piece of content recorded while working in a field had travelled.

“From a village girl working in her fields to seeing my small piece of content reach someone I admire so much, the moment is truly special,” she said.

She thanked Priyanka for noticing, appreciating and sharing her work, saying the gesture had given her “immense happiness and motivation” to continue working, learning and creating while remaining herself.

And Yashoda had a message for everyone watching her remarkable journey.

“Never underestimate your small efforts,” she said. “You never know who is watching.”

For a woman who began by teaching English from rural Uttar Pradesh, a video recorded during an ordinary day in the fields had suddenly travelled all the way to one of India's biggest global stars.