Parineeti Chopra

Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1988) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare and a National Film Award. She has appeared in '' Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2013.

After obtaining a triple honours degree in business, finance and economics from Manchester Business School, Chopra returned to India during the 2009 economic recession and joined Yash Raj Films as a public relations consultant. Later, she signed a deal with the company as an actress. She made her acting debut with the 2011 romantic comedy ''Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'', winning the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She followed it by garnering acclaim for her starring roles in the box office hits— ''Ishaqzaade'' (2012), ''Shuddh Desi Romance'' (2013) and ''Hasee Toh Phasee'' (2014). The first of these won her the National Film Award – Special Mention while the former two earned her nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

This success was followed by several poorly received films and a three-year hiatus. Her only successful films during this period were the horror-comedy ''Golmaal Again'' (2017) and the war drama ''Kesari'' (2019), in which she had a brief role. In 2021, Chopra earned critical praise for her leading roles in the black comedy ''Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar'' and the sports biopic '' Saina''. She received another Filmfare nomination for Best Actress for the former.

In addition to her acting career, Chopra is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. She has sung some of her film songs, including "Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin" and "Teri Mitti". In 2022, Chopra ventured into television by judging the reality show '' Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan'' on Colors TV.

Early life and work

Chopra was born on 22 October 1988 in Ambala, Haryana into a Punjabi Hindu family. Her father, Pawan Chopra, is a businessman and supplier to the Indian Army at Ambala Cantonment and her mother is Reena Chopra. She has two brothers: Shivang and Sahaj; actresses Priyanka Chopra, Meera Chopra and Mannara Chopra are her cousins. Chopra studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Ambala. In an interview published in ''The Hindu'', she revealed that she was a very good student and had always wanted to become an investment banker.

At the age of 17, Chopra moved to England, where she received a triple honours degree in business, finance and economics from Manchester Business School. She used to take orientation classes for new students at the university. While studying, she worked part-time for the Manchester United Football Club as the team leader of the catering department. Chopra is also a trained Hindustani classical singer with a B.A. Honours in music. She used to perform on stage with her cousin, Priyanka, and their fathers in her childhood.

In 2009, she returned to India in the wake of the economic recession and moved to Mumbai. Chopra obtained an internship in the marketing department of Yash Raj Films, joining the production company as a public-relations consultant. She considered it a perfect job, because she could use what she had learned and work in films. While working on promotions for '' Band Baaja Baaraat'' (2010), Chopra realized that she wanted to become an actress and decided to resign from her executive position with Yash Raj Films to attend acting school. After meeting the company's casting director, she was asked to do a "dummy audition for fun". Chopra remembered "fooling around with a camera" and delivering lines by the character Geet from the film ''Jab We Met'' (2007). When YRF producer Aditya Chopra saw the tape he was impressed with her acting. Chopra was then signed to a 3-film deal.

Acting career

Debut, breakthrough and accolades (2011–2014)

In 2011, Chopra made her screen debut in a supporting role in the romantic comedy ''Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'' with Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma in lead roles. The film describes how three girls who are tricked by a con artist take revenge on him by plotting the same trick for him. Chopra played the Delhi-based "rich and spoiled brat" Dimple Chadda, who is betrayed by the film's central character. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and was moderately successful at the box office. Chopra's performance received high praise from critics. Komal Nahta said, "Of the three other girls, Chopra is undoubtedly the best. She has the best role, the best lines and hers is the best performance among the three." Priyanka Roy of ''The Telegraph'' described Chopra as "natural" and wrote "Among the ladies, debutante Chopra almost steals the show from Sharma." The film earned her several awards, including the Filmfare Award, the Screen Award, the Producers Guild Film Award and the IIFA Award for Best Debut. Chopra also received nominations in the supporting actress category, including Filmfare, and won the Producers Guild and IIFA Awards in the same category.

Chopra's second release was Habib Faisal's action romantic drama ''Ishaqzaade'' in which she played a leading role opposite Arjun Kapoor. The film revolves around two political families, whose rivalry (and mutual hatred) go back generations. Chopra played the boisterous and feisty tomboy Zoya, a Muslim girl who marries a Hindu boy and gives birth to new rivalry in both families. The film received positive reviews from critics, with Chopra's performance receiving widespread praise. Taran Adarsh observed, "Chopra is simply fantastic ..Playing the part of a spirited gun-toting girl, she is not the regular timid, decorous, withdrawn Hindi film heroine. She portrays the violent behavior coupled with the audacious and brash attitude with aplomb", and Rajeev Masand labelled her the "biggest strength of the film". The film grossed over at the domestic box office, and was termed a super hit by ''Box Office India''. Chopra earned a National Film Award – Special Mention at the 60th National Film Awards, and received first nominations for the Producers Guild, Screen and Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Chopra next appeared alongside Sushant Singh Rajput and Vaani Kapoor in the romantic comedy-drama ''Shuddh Desi Romance'' (2013), her second collaboration with Maneesh Sharma. The film, set in Jaipur, received positive reviews from critics and Chopra's portrayal of Gayatri, an outspoken and rebellious girl, received particular praise. ''CNN-IBN'' noted that the film belonged to Chopra, who "turns Gayatri into the most real woman one have encountered on screen", and the critic Mayank Shekhar added "Chopra's act in the film's first half is nothing short of National Award-winning material." ''Shuddh Desi Romance'' collected at the domestic box-office and emerged as a commercial success. Chopra garnered several Best Actress nominations, including her second Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.

Chopra's first of three releases of 2014 was Dharma Productions' romantic comedy-drama ''Hasee Toh Phasee'', her first role outside the Yash Raj Films banner. She portrayed Dr. Meeta Solanki, a mad scientist on the run, opposite Sidharth Malhotra. Directed by Vinil Matthew and jointly produced by Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar, the film emerged a commercial success at the box office, and received positive reviews from critics, with Chopra's portrayal receiving widespread praise. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that Chopra was "pitch-perfect with her goofball act" and ''Hindustan Times'' published that she re-defined the concept of a Bollywood heroine with the film. She received BIG Star Entertainment Awards Most Entertaining Actor in a Comedy Film for her performance in the film.

Habib Faisal's dowry-based social comedy film ''Daawat-e-Ishq'' marked Chopra's second collaboration with Faisal. She was cast as Gulrez "Gullu" Qadir, a middle-class salesgirl from Hyderabad alongside Aditya Roy Kapur and Anupam Kher. The film received mixed reviews though Chopra was praised. Film critic Sarita A. Tanwar from ''Daily News Analysis'' found Chopra to be "the best thing about the film" and added, "Chopra shines in every scene. She does what she does every single time — rises head and shoulders above the film and her costars." Chopra next played her first "glamorous role" in Shaad Ali's crime film ''Kill Dil'', co-starring Govinda, Ranveer Singh and Ali Zafar. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com found the film to be a "disaster" and wrote that "Chopra is terribly miscast and wears clothes that should have never left the wardrobe". Both ''Daawat-e-Ishq'' and ''Kill Dil'' were unsuccessful at the box office. In 2014, she also appeared in the short film, ''Dor'' as Ria.

Hiatus and career fluctuations (2015–2020)

Chopra took a hiatus from acting and appeared only in a cameo role of a doctor in mini web-series ''Man's World'' and as Mariama in the documentary ''Girl Rising India – Woh Padhegi, Woh Udegi'', both in 2015. In 2016, she portrayed Muskaan Raza Qureshi in ''Dishoom'', in which she appeared in the song "Jaaneman Aah"

After a 3-year sabbatical from full-time acting, Chopra returned to the screen in 2017 with Yash Raj Films' romantic drama ''Meri Pyaari Bindu'' opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. The film tells the story about a writer who uses his heartbreak as fuel for his next book and Chopra played the titular character, Bindu Shankarnarayanan, an aspiring singer, whose story is told from the writer's perspective. Anisha Jhaveri of ''IndieWire'' praised Chopra for "grounding Bindu with flickers of genuine sensitivity and vulnerability ..hinting that there’s more to the character behind that flighty surface." Rajeev Masand called her performance as "sincere", but felt that the actress was given very less to work it thanks to the "flighty and fickle" nature of her character. She next starred opposite Ajay Devgn in Rohit Shetty's comedy ''Golmaal Again'', the fourth installment in the '' Golmaal'' film series. ''Bollywood Hungama'' noted, "Chopra has a crucial character and from the first sequence itself, there’s an element of mystery surrounding her character that adds to the fun. She looks beautiful and does a good job." The film broke several box office records and was eventually declared a blockbuster, thus becoming her highest-grossing film to date. It grossed over at the box office to become one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.

Chopra's only release of 2018 was Vipul Amrutlal Shah's romantic comedy '' Namaste England'', alongside Arjun Kapoor, a sequel to Shah's ''Namastey London'' (2007) starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. The film marked Chopra's second collaboration with Kapoor after ''Ishaqzaade''. The film was a critical and commercial failure. Shilpa Jamkhandikar of Reuters felt the actress was "sleepwalking through a role that didn’t have too much meat in the first place" and Nandini Ramnath of Scroll noted that Chopra's usual spikiness was missing.

The first film appearance of Chopra's of 2019 was in a brief role opposite Kumar in the historical war film '' Kesari'' directed by Anurag Singh. It told the story of the events leading up to the Battle of Saragarhi, a battle between 21 soldiers of the 36th Sikhs of the British Indian Army and 10,000 Afridi and Orakzai Pashtun tribesmen in 1897. Chopra played the role of Jeevani Kaur, the wife of Ishar Singh, the leader of the Sikh soldiers, appearing in his imaginary conversations before and after the battle. Sukanya Verma of ''Rediff.com'' felt that Chopra had "precious little to do" in the film. However, Rachit Gupta of ''The Times of India'' noted her "small, but impactful role", writing "it’s her character’s fun banter with Kumar that puts a smile on your face and her tears break your heart." The film emerged a huge commercial success at the box office, grossing over at the box office.

Her second release of the year was '' Jabariya Jodi'' with Sidharth Malhotra, an action romantic comedy, based upon the tradition of groom kidnapping, prevalent in Bihar. The film received unanimously negative reviews and was a box office flop. Writing for ''NDTV'', film critic Saibal Chatterjee felt that Chopra "punctuates her perky, no-nonsense girl persona with moments of demure docility" but "all the effort that she makes to traverse the gamut quickly ceases to convey any meaning in the absence of cohesion and clarity in the character's motives." Shubhra Gupta of ''The Indian Express'' wrote that "Chopra, togged out in the most outlandish clothes Patna may have been witness too, seems to have got stuck in a rut of familiarity."

Renewed critical recognition (2021–present)

Her first on-screen appearance of 2021 was '' The Girl on the Train'', a Hindi remake of British film of same name based on the novel of the same name by British author Paula Hawkins, was released on Netflix. The film was directed by Ribhu Dasgupta featuring Chopra as an alcoholic and troubled divorcee who gets embroiled in a murder investigation. It also featured Avinash Tiwary, Aditi Rao Hydari and Kirti Kulhari. In a negative review for ''Firstpost'', the film was criticised for "lacklustre writing" but her performance was praised as "sincere", writing "She manages to embed herself in Mira’s tortured mind, giving this film its one selling point." Chopra next starred opposite Arjun Kapoor in Dibakar Banerjee's black comedy ''Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar''. '' Filmfare'' felt that the screen belonged to Chopra, writing "She’s the epicenter of the drama and has a multi-layered character that she plays around with. She swiftly moves from a strong unbreakable woman to a broken and vulnerable victim." ''Times of India'' wrote, "Performance wise, it’s a Parineeti show all the way. She gets an ample scope to live Sandy’s multi-layered character, who is strong yet vulnerable and insecure. Parineeti gives it all to make Sandy’s intricate and hard-to-read persona likeable and her performance is one of the few factors that hold the film’s uneven narrative together." She received another Best Actress nomination at Filmfare.

The biographical sports drama '' Saina'' was Chopra's final film of the year. Directed by Amol Gupte, the film saw her portraying the badminton player Saina Nehwal. Her performance received critical acclaim. Shubhra Gupta of ''The Indian Express'' noted that she serves drops and smashes as the badminton champ", writing Chopra gives us a good, solid Saina Nehwal. When she raises her racket after a hard-fought win, you cheer."

Ribhu Dasgupta's espionage thriller '' Code Name: Tiranga'' became Chopra's first film of 2022. It received negative reviews and emerged as a commercial failure. Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com wrote that Chopra "gets her fair share of the footage, but seems to equate scowling and squinting with seriousness of purpose." In her final film of the year, Chopra featured as Shraddha Gupta, a tour guide, in the ensemble film ''Uunchai'', directed by Sooraj Barjatya under Rajshri Productions. Anuj Kumar of ''The Hindu'' opined that she "gets a half-baked character, and yet, she makes the most of it".

Chopra will next appear in the thriller ''Capsule Gill'' opposite Akshay Kumar. She has also committed to star in Imtiaz Ali's ''Chamkila'' opposite Diljit Dosanjh.

Other ventures

Television career

In 2014, Chopra made her first appearance on television in Zee TV's ''India's Best Cinestars Ki Khoj'' as a mentor. In 2015, she appeared in the Documentary ''Girl Rising –Woh Padhegi, Woh Udegi'' that premiered on Star Plus on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan. In addition to this, she has hosted the 3rd ''Stardust Awards'' with Ayushmann Khurana in 2013, the 11th ''Star Guild Awards'' with Kapil Sharma in 2015 and the second ''Times of India Film Awards'' with Riteish Deshmukh in 2016. She also appeared as a guest on Amitabh Bachchan's talk show ''Aaj Ki Raat Hai Zindagi''.

She next appeared as a Contestant on Star Plus's ''Lip Sing Battle'' along with Karan Johar in 2017. In 2018, hosted ''63rd Filmfare Awards'' with Shah Rukh Khan, Johar and Khurana. Chopra made her television debut as a judge alongside Mithun Chakraborty and Johar on the reality show titled '' Hunarbaaz: Desh Ki Shaan'', which premiered on Colors TV on 22 January 2022. She also appeared as a guest and contestant on ''Khatra Khatra Khatra'' in March 2022.

Music career and stage work

Chopra made her playback singing debut in 2017 with the song Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin and received praise for her vocal performance and singing. She received a nominations for the Screen Award for Best Female Playback Singer and the Mirchi Music Award for Upcoming Female Vocalist of The Year. In 2019, Chopra recorded the female version of the song Teri Mitti for the film, '' Kesari''. In 2021, she sang the unplugged version of the song "Matlabi Yariyan" for the film.

In August 2016, she performed in various cities in the United States for the "Dream Team 2016" tour, alongside Johar, Varun Dhawan, Sidharth Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt and Badshah.

Off-screen work

In addition to acting in films, Chopra is active in charity work and supports a number of causes. She walked the ramp at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week to support the Shabana Azmi Mijwan Welfare Society, a NGO dedicated to empowering girls. She also appeared on NDTV's Greenathon, an initiative to support eco-friendliness and investigate poor electricity supplies in rural villages, to lend her support. Chopra was appointed as the brand ambassador for the 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign to promote the cause of girl child by the Haryana government in 2015. In 2016, she was seen on the TV show ''Mission Sapne'', where she helped 13-year-old Bhavna Suthalya secure a better future.

In 2017, Chopra became an ambassador for Tourism Australia in ‘Friends of Australia’ advocacy panel by Tourism Australia. According to the India Entertainment Marketing Report 2019, Indian visitors to Australia have grown at an average of 21 percent since the appointment of Chopra in comparison to 15 percent growth experienced during the prior six months.

Chopra is an aquaphile and was chosen as PADI's AmbassaDiver in May 2022. She has taken active part in cleaning the ocean during her scuba diving sessions. Chopra also cleaned Mumbai's beach post Ganpati ''visarjan'' in September 2022. She has also ramp walked in the Lakme Fashion Week and has been the cover model for several magazines.

In 2019, Chopra spoke about her personal experience of battling depression.
Chopra has been outspoken on issues such as weight gain and body-shaming. She said, "Body-shaming is the most ridiculous thing on earth. It is something natural and what you are born with. But every human being should strive to be their fittest. They shouldn’t strive to be the skinniest. You can be fit at your body type." On being criticised for her weight, she said, "I agreed with them that I wasn’t looking my best. I wasn’t doing my best for my fitness. I think I would have gotten hurt if I was doing everything that I could and I was really my fittest, and then people didn’t like the way I looked. I think that would have affected me. But I agreed with them because I knew I wasn’t doing my best."

Chopra also spoke on pay gap in Bollywood. She said, "I always felt like I deserved a little bit more but I only got this much. But then girls do a lot of endorsements so we kind of make it up. So that is why I never talk about it (pay parity) because the boys don’t do as many endorsements as girls. I hope I’m right. We do so many beauty commercials and hair commercials like so many brands and I think we kind of cover it up." She received severe criticism for her statement.

Screen persona and public image

Following her debut, Chopra was regarded as one of the most promising actresses in Hindi cinema. She is also noted for her acting versatility. The actress' roles and performances have been studied by critics. NDTV noted, " hopra...is as far removed from the standard Bollywood bombshell as it is possible for a lead actress to be. She's more girl next door than glamour doll, with no obvious oomph in evidence, and freely confesses to a battle with the weighing scale". ''The Indian Express'' labelled her the "most brightest and talented" newcomer of this generation, noting "her infectious amount of energy". While discussing her career in a 2013 article, CNN-IBN noted, " he...is one of the few actresses in the current lot who has a strong screen presence which demands absolute attention from the viewer. When she is on screen, one can't notice other actors—Parineeti engages you in such a way".

In a 2013 interview with ''Hindustan Times'', Chopra revealed that she intends to do films where she has lot to perform, and not the films which has high production value. She said,

The actress appeared on ''Verve''s list of most powerful women in 2011. In 2012 and 2014, Rediff.com placed her in their listing of the top 10 Bollywood actresses. She was placed in ''The Indian Express''s Top 10 Bollywood Actresses of 2013 List. Chopra also appeared on the most searched celebrities list of 2014. She ranked 2nd in ''Times of India''s Most Promising Newcomer of 2011. In its 50 Most Desirable Women List, she ranked 44th in 2013. In '' Eastern Eye''s 50 Sexiest Asian Women List, she ranked 14th in 2013 and 33rd in 2015.

Apart from charity work, she serves as an ambassador for a number of brands. Chopra endorses brands such as Kurkure, Nivea, Maaza and Spinz, WeChat, Pantene, Vadilal and Mahindra scooty. She became the first Bollywood star to endorse products from both Coke (Maaza) and PepsiCo (Kurkure) at the same time. Chopra is the brand ambassador of ADEX India.

Chopra has appeared in '' Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2013. She debuted at 77th position with an estimated annual income of . In 2019, with an estimated annual income of , she peaked at 41st position. She is also one of the most followed celebrities on social media with over 38.5 million Instagram and 14.6 million Twitter followers.

Filmography

Films

Television

Documentary

Discography

Accolades

Chopra is a recipient of a National Film Award – Special Mention for ''Ishaqzaade'' (2012) and a Filmfare Best Female Debut for ''Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'' (2011). Additionally, she has been nominated for four more Filmfare Awards: Best Supporting Actress for ''Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'' (2011) and Best Actress for ''Ishaqzaade'' (2012), ''Shuddh Desi Romance'' (2013) and ''Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar''.

Further reading

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References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chopra, Parineeti
Punjabi Hindus
1988 births
21st-century Indian actresses
Alumni of the University of Manchester
Actresses in Hindi cinema
Indian film actresses
Living people
People from Ambala
Actresses from Haryana
Alumni of the Manchester Business School
Special Mention (feature film) National Film Award winners
Filmfare Awards winners
Screen Awards winners
Zee Cine Awards winners
International Indian Film Academy Awards winners