Priyanka Chopra-Jonas
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the
Miss World 2000 Miss World 2000, the 50th anniversary of the Miss World pageant, was held on 30 November 2000 at the Millennium Dome in London, United Kingdom. The pageant's swimsuit segment was filmed in the Maldives. The pageant was the first since the dea ...
pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Award and five
Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
. In 2016, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, and '' Time'' named her one of the
100 most influential people in the world ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...
. In the next two years, '' Forbes'' listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women, and in 2022, she was named in the BBC 100 Women list. Chopra accepted offers to join the Indian film industry following her pageant wins. Her acting debut came in the
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
film '' Thamizhan'' (2002), followed by her first Bollywood feature in '' The Hero: Love Story of a Spy'' (2003). She played the leading lady in the box-office hits '' Andaaz'' (2003) and '' Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' (2004) and had her breakout role in the 2004 romantic thriller '' Aitraaz''. Chopra established herself with starring roles in the top-grossing productions '' Krrish'' and '' Don'' (both 2006), and later reprised her role in their sequels. For playing a troubled model in the drama ''
Fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
'' (2008), Chopra won a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Chopra gained further praise for portraying a range of characters in the films ''
Kaminey ''Kaminey'' ( en, Scoundrels, italic=yes) is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and produced by Ronnie Screwvala under UTV Motion Pictures, featuring Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Amole Gupte ...
'' (2009), '' 7 Khoon Maaf'' (2011), '' Barfi!'' (2012), '' Mary Kom'' (2014), and '' Bajirao Mastani'' (2015). From 2015 to 2018, Chopra starred as Alex Parrish in the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
thriller series '' Quantico'', becoming the first South Asian to headline an American network drama series. Founding the production company Purple Pebble Pictures in 2015, she produced several films under it, including the
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film '' Ventilator'' (2016) and the Hindi biopic ''
The Sky Is Pink ''The Sky Is Pink'' is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language biographical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Shonali Bose and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Ronnie Screwvala and Priyanka Chopra Jonas under their production companies ...
'' (2019). Chopra has acted in Hollywood films, such as ''Baywatch'' (2017), ''
Isn't It Romantic "Isn't It Romantic?" is a popular song and part of the Great American Songbook. The music was composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It has a 32-bar chorus in A–B–A–C form. Alec Wilder, in his book ''American Popular So ...
'' (2019), ''
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'' (2021), and '' The Matrix Resurrections'' (2021). She ventured into music by releasing three
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
and into writing with her memoir ''
Unfinished Unfinished may refer to: *Unfinished creative work, a work which a creator either chose not to finish or was prevented from finishing. Music * Symphony No. 8 (Schubert) "Unfinished" * ''Unfinished'' (album), 2011 album by American singer Jor ...
'' (2021), which reached ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Chopra's other ventures include tech investments, a haircare brand, a restaurant, and a homeware line. She promotes social causes such as environment and women's rights and is vocal about gender equality, the gender pay gap, and feminism. She has worked with UNICEF since 2006 and was appointed as the national and global
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and advocates who are designated by the United Nations. The United Nations Intern ...
for child rights in 2010 and 2016, respectively. Her namesake foundation for health and education works towards providing support to underprivileged Indian children. Despite maintaining privacy, Chopra's off-screen life, including her marriage to American singer and actor Nick Jonas, is the subject of substantial media coverage; the couple have one daughter.


Early life

Chopra was born on 18 July 1982 in
Jamshedpur Jamshedpur (, ) or Tatanagar is the largest and most populous city in Jharkhand and the first planned industrial city in India. It is a Notified Area Council and Municipal Corporation and also the headquarter of the East Singhbhum district. It ...
, Bihar (present-day Jharkhand), to Ashok and Madhu Chopra, both physicians in the Indian Army. Her father was a Punjabi Hindu from Ambala. Her mother, Madhu Chopra from Jharkhand is the eldest daughter of Dr. Manohar Kishan Akhouri, a former Congress veteran, and Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri, a former member of Bihar Legislative Assembly. Chopra's maternal grandmother, Mrs. Akhouri, was a Malayali Jacobite Syrian Christian originally named Mary John, belonging to the Kavalappara family of Kumarakom, Kottayam district, Kerala. Chopra has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years her junior. Bollywood actresses Parineeti Chopra,
Meera Chopra Meera Chopra, is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi-language films. In Tamil films, she is credited as Nila. Personal life Meera is a cousin of Indian actresses Priyanka Chopra and Parineeti Chopra. Film caree ...
, and Mannara Chopra are cousins. Owing to Chopra's parents' professions as military physicians, the family was posted in a number of places in India, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ambala, Ladakh, Lucknow, Bareilly, and Pune. Among the schools she attended were La Martiniere Girls' School in Lucknow and St. Maria Goretti College in Bareilly. In an interview published in '' Daily News and Analysis'', Chopra said that she did not mind travelling regularly and changing schools; she welcomed it as a new experience and a way to discover India's multicultural society. Among the many places that she lived, Chopra has fond memories as a child of playing in the valleys of
Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...
, in the cold northwestern Indian desert region of Ladakh. She had said, "I think I was in Class 4 when I was in Leh. My brother was just born. My dad was in the army and was posted there. I stayed in Leh for a year, and my memories of that place are tremendous. We were all army kids there. We weren't living in houses, we were in bunkers in the valley and there was a
stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...
right on top of a hill which used to overlook our valley. We used to race up to the top of the stupa". She now considers Bareilly her home town, and maintains strong connections there. At 13, Chopra moved to the United States to study, living with her aunt, and attending schools in Newton, Massachusetts, and
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...
, after a stop in Queens, New York, as her aunt's family also moved frequently. While in Massachusetts, she participated in several theatre productions, and studied Western classical music, and choral singing. During her teenage years in the United States, Chopra sometimes faced racial issues and was bullied for being Indian. She has said, "I was a gawky kid, had low self-esteem, came from a modest middle-class background, had white marks on my legs. But I was damn hard working. Today, my legs sell 12 brands." After three years, Chopra returned to India, finishing the senior year of her high-school education at the Army Public School in Bareilly. During this period, Chopra won the local May Queen beauty pageant, after which she was pursued by admirers; her family equipped their home with bars for her protection. Her mother entered her in the
Femina Miss India Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India that annually selects representatives to compete in Miss World, one of the Big Four major international beauty pageants. It is organised by '' Femina'', a women's magazine ...
contest of 2000; she finished second, winning the Femina
Miss India World Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India that annually selects representatives to compete in Miss World, one of the Big Four international beauty pageants, Big Four major international beauty pageants. It is organis ...
title. Chopra next won the
Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...
pageant, where she was crowned
Miss World 2000 Miss World 2000, the 50th anniversary of the Miss World pageant, was held on 30 November 2000 at the Millennium Dome in London, United Kingdom. The pageant's swimsuit segment was filmed in the Maldives. The pageant was the first since the dea ...
and Miss World Continental Queen of BeautyAsia & Oceania at the
Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome was the original name of the large dome-shaped building on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East (London sub region), South East London, England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millenn ...
in London on 30 November 2000. Chopra was the fifth Indian contestant to win Miss World, and the fourth to do so within seven years. She had enrolled in college, but left after winning the Miss World pageant. Chopra said that the Miss India and Miss World titles brought her recognition, and she began receiving offers for film roles.


Acting career


Career beginnings and breakthrough (2002–2004)

After winning Miss India World, Chopra was cast as the female lead in Abbas–Mustan's romantic thriller '' Humraaz'' (2002), in which she was to make her film debut. However, this fell through for various reasons: she stated the production conflicted with her schedule, while the producers said they recast because Chopra took on various other commitments. Her screen debut occurred in the 2002
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...
film '' Thamizhan'' as the love interest of the protagonist, played by Vijay. A review published in ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' was appreciative of the film for its wit and dialogue; however it felt that Chopra's role was limited from an acting viewpoint. In 2003, Chopra made her Bollywood film debut as the second female lead opposite
Sunny Deol Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1956), better known by his stage name Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, politician and current Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur (Lok Sabha constituency) of Punjab, India. As an actor, ...
and Preity Zinta in
Anil Sharma Anil Sharma may refer to: * Anil Sharma (director) (born 1960), Indian film director and producer * Anil Sharma (Himachal Pradesh politician) (born 1956), Indian politician, member of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly * Anil Sharma (Uttar ...
's '' The Hero: Love Story of a Spy''. Set against the backdrop of the Indian Army in Kashmir, the film tells the story of an
RAW Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
agent's fight against terrorism. ''The Hero'' emerged as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films that year, but received mixed reviews from critics.
Derek Elley Derek Elley (born c. 1955) is an American film and music critic and author, best known as the resident film critic for ''Variety'' until his departure in March 2010. With over 1200 reviews to his credit as of December 2014 on ''Rotten Tomatoes'', h ...
from '' Variety'' said that "mega-looker Chopra makes a solid screen debut." Later that year she appeared in Raj Kanwar's box-office success '' Andaaz'' with Akshay Kumar, sharing the female lead with debutante Lara Dutta. Chopra played a vivacious young woman who falls in love with Kumar's character. The '' Hindustan Times'' noted the glamour that she brought to the role; Kunal Shah of Sify praised her performance and stated she had "all the qualities to be a star." Her performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut (along with Dutta) and a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Chopra's first three releases in 2004—'' Plan'', '' Kismat'', and ''
Asambhav ''Asambhav'' (translation: Impossible) is a 2004 Indian Hindi action thriller film directed by Rajiv Rai and produced by Gulshan Rai under Trimurti Films banner. It was released on 23 July 2004, starring Arjun Rampal, Naseeruddin Shah and Priy ...
''—performed poorly at the box office. Chopra was typically cast during this earlier period as a "glamour quotient", in roles that were considered forgettable by film critic Joginder Tuteja. Later that year she starred with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar in David Dhawan's romantic comedy '' Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'', which opened to commercial success and emerged the third-highest-grossing film of the year in India. In late 2004, she starred opposite Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in Abbas–Mustan's romantic thriller '' Aitraaz''. Chopra considers her first role as an antagonist, portraying Soniya Roy, an ambitious woman who accuses her employee of sexual harassment, as the "biggest learning experience of her career". The film was a critical and commercial success, and Chopra's performance received critical acclaim. The ''Hindustan Times'' cited it as the film that changed her career significantly. A reviewer writing for the '' BBC'' said, "''Aitraaz'' is Chopra's film. As the deliciously wicked, gold digging, scheming seductress, she chews up every scene she is in with her magnetic screen presence." She won a Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role, becoming the second and final actress to win the award after
Kajol Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee; born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six F ...
(the category was discontinued in 2008). Chopra also received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the
Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role The Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (previously known as the Apsara Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role) is given by the producers of the film and television guild as part of its annual award ceremony f ...
.


Rise to prominence (2005–2006)

In 2005, Chopra appeared in 6 films. Her first two releases, the action thrillers ''
Blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
'' and '' Karam'', were critically and commercially unsuccessful. Shilpa Bharatan-Iyer of ''
Rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...
'' considered ''Blackmail'' to be a very predictable film and believed that her role as a police commissioner's wife was very limited from an acting point of view. Her performance in ''Karam'' was better received, Subhash K. Jha wrote that Chopra "with her poised interpretation of high drama, flies high creating a character whose vulnerability and beauty are endorsed by both the inner and outer worlds created for her character." Later that year Chopra played the wife of Akshay Kumar in Vipul Amrutlal Shah's family drama '' Waqt: The Race Against Time'', the story of a small businessman (played by
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
) who, hiding his illness, wants to teach his irresponsible son some lessons before he dies. During production, Chopra revisited Leh, a favourite childhood haunt, for the shooting of the song "Subah Hogi". She suffered an accident during the filming for the song "Do Me A Favour Let's Play Holi" when she electrocuted herself, spending a day recovering in hospital. The film was well received by critics, and was a commercial success. She next starred opposite Arjun Rampal in the romantic mystery thriller '' Yakeen'', portraying the role of a possessive lover. Critical reaction towards the film was mixed, but her performance received praise. Taran Adarsh wrote that Chopra "is bound to win laurels yet again ..the actor is emerging as one of the finest talents in these fast-changing times". Her next release was
Suneel Darshan Suneel Darshan is an Indian filmmaker, film director, producer and writer who works in the Bollywood industry. Biography Darshan began his career in 1987 as a film producer. He produced the film ''Inteqam'', which starred Sunny Deol and Anil Ka ...
's romance '' Barsaat'', co-starring
Bobby Deol Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1967) popularly known as Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and web series. A member of the List of Hindi film families#Deol family, Deol family, he is the younger son of veteran actor Dhar ...
and Bipasha Basu. The film was a critical and commercial failure in India, but fared better in the overseas market. Chopra's performance received mixed reviews, with Bollywood Hungama describing it as "mechanical". However, Rediff.com considered Chopra to be an "epitome of calm intelligence, who underplayed her role to perfection". Later that year,
Rohan Sippy Rohan Sippy is an Indian film director and producer, he worked as a director in films like '' Kuch Naa Kaho'' (2003), ''Bluffmaster!'' (2005), '' Dum Maaro Dum'' (2011) and ''Nautanki Saala'' (2013). Early life He is the son of Ramesh Sippy, ...
cast her alongside Abhishek Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh and Nana Patekar in the comedy ''
Bluffmaster! ''Bluffmaster!'' is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language crime comedy film directed by Rohan Sippy and produced by Ramesh Sippy. The film stars Abhishek Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Mishra, Boman Irani and Nana Patekar. It is a ...
''. Chopra played independent working woman Simran Saxena, Bachchan's love interest. The film proved to be a box-office success. After starting 2006 with special appearances in three films, Chopra starred in Rakesh Roshan's superhero film '' Krrish'' (a sequel to the 2003 science-fiction film '' Koi... Mil Gaya''). Co-starring with Hrithik Roshan, Rekha and
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He is notable in Indian parallel cinema. He has also starred in international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfare A ...
, Chopra played a young television journalist who schemes to take advantage of an innocent young man with remarkable physical abilities, but eventually falls in love with him. The film was the second-highest-grossing film of the year in India and grossed over worldwide attaining a
blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Blo ...
status. Her next film was
Dharmesh Darshan Dharmesh Darshan is an Indian filmmaker, film director and writer who works in Bollywood. Early life Dharmesh was born Dharmesh Sabharwal, the son of film producer Darshan Sabharwal by his wife Sheila, who is the elder sister of filmmakers Mahe ...
's romantic comedy '' Aap Ki Khatir'', co-starring Akshaye Khanna, Ameesha Patel and Dino Morea. Neither the film nor Chopra's performance were well received. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com stated that Chopra's portrayal of Anu was "erratically sketched" and that her character was never consistent: "first flaky, then cool, and later, sensitive". Chopra's final release of 2006 was Farhan Akhtar's action-thriller '' Don'' (a remake of the 1978 film of the same name), with
Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...
. Chopra portrayed
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
(played by Zeenat Aman in the original film), who joins the underworld to avenge Don for killing her brother. Chopra received martial-arts training for her role in the movie, and performed her own stunts. The film was declared a box-office success in India and overseas, with revenues of . Raja Sen of Rediff.com found Chopra to be film's "big surprise"; he believed that Chopra convincingly portrayed Roma, "looking every bit the competent woman of action" and wrote "This is an actress willing to push herself, and has definite potential for screen magic. Not to mention a great smile."


Setbacks and resurgence (2007–2008)

In 2007, Chopra had two leading roles. Her first film was
Nikhil Advani Nikhil Suresh Advani (born 28 April 1971) is an Indian film and television director, writer and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He along with his sister, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani, co-founded the entertainment company Emmay Enterta ...
's '' Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love'', a romantic comedy-drama in six chapters with an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...
. She was featured opposite Salman Khan in the first chapter as Kamini, an
item girl In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and B ...
and aspiring actress who tries to land the lead role in a
Karan Johar Karan Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo in the Hindi Film Industry, is an Indian filmmaker and television personality, who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several s ...
film with a publicity gimmick. Film critic Sukanya Verma praised her flair for comedy, especially her impressions of Meena Kumari, Nargis and Madhubala. Both ''Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love'' and her next film, ''
Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' ** Authoritarian personality, any omnipresent figure representing oppressive control ** Big Brother Awards, a sat ...
'', proved unsuccessful at the domestic box office. In 2008, Chopra starred opposite
Harman Baweja Harman Baweja (born 13 November 1980) is an Indian actor and producer. He has starred in films like ''Love Story 2050'' (2008), '' What's Your Raashee?'' (2009) and '' It's My Life'' (2020). Early life Baweja was born to a film director Harry ...
in his father's '' Love Story 2050''. Chopra played a double role, so she colored her hair twice; once red to portray the girl from the future and then black for the girl of the past. Her performance was poorly received; Rajeev Masand was unimpressed with Chopra's chemistry with her co-star, remarking that her character "fails to inspire either affection or sympathy". She next appeared in the comedy ''
God Tussi Great Ho ''God Tussi Great Ho'' () is a 2008 Indian fantasy comedy film, written and directed by Rumi Jaffery and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Sohail Khan. According to director Rohit Dhawan, the film is a remake of the 2 ...
'', portraying a TV anchor opposite Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. Chopra next starred as a kindergarten teacher in ''
Chamku ''Chamku'' is a 2008 Indian action thriller film written and directed by Kabeer Kaushik. It stars Bobby Deol in the eponymous role. It also co-stars Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan. Riteish Deshmukh and Danny Denzongpa appear in supporting roles. ...
'' opposite
Bobby Deol Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1967) popularly known as Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema and web series. A member of the List of Hindi film families#Deol family, Deol family, he is the younger son of veteran actor Dhar ...
and Irrfan Khan, and played the role of Sonia in Goldie Behl's fantasy superhero film ''
Drona Droṇa ( sa, द्रोण, Droṇa), also referred to as Dronacharya ( sa, द्रोणाचार्य, Droṇācārya), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kaurav ...
'' opposite Abhishek Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. ''Drona'', widely criticized for its extensive use of special effects, marked Chopra's sixth film in succession which had failed at both the box-office and critically, although Sukanya Verma of ''Rediff.com'' stated that Chopra displayed convincing action heroine skills. Critics generally perceived at this time that her career was over. The string of poorly received films ended when Chopra starred in Madhur Bhandarkar's ''
Fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
'', a drama about the Indian fashion industry which followed the lives and careers of several fashion models. She portrayed the ambitious supermodel Meghna Mathur, a role which she initially thought was out of her depth, but after six months' consideration she accepted the role, inspired by Bhandarkar's confidence in her. For the role, Chopra had to gain and steadily shed the weight during the production as the character progressed in the film. Both the film and her performance received critical acclaim, proving to be a major turning point in her career. Rajeev Masand felt that she "turns in a respectable performance, one that will inevitably go down as her best." For her performance, she won several awards, including the National Film Award for Best Actress, the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, the
IIFA Award for Best Actress The IIFA Award for Best Actress is given by the International Indian Film Academy as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The recipient ...
, the Screen Award for Best Actress, and the Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. With a worldwide revenue of , ''Fashion'' emerged as a commercial success, and was listed by Subhash K. Jha as one of the best films of the decade with women protagonists. It was noted for being commercially successful despite being a women-centric film with no male lead. Chopra said in 2012: "I think actually ''Fashion'' kick started ... the process of female dominated films. Today you have so many other films which have done well with female leads." Chopra's final film of the year was
Tarun Mansukhani Tarun Mansukhani is a Bollywood director and writer. His most popular film to date would be Dostana produced by Karan Johar starring Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra. Born into a Sindhi family, he was educated at the Law ...
's romantic comedy '' Dostana'', with Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham. Set in Miami, the film tells the story of a friendship between her character and two men who pretend to be gay to share an apartment with her. Chopra played a stylish young fashion-magazine editor Neha Melwani, who is trying to deal with professional pressures in her life. Produced by Dharma Productions, the film was a financial success with worldwide revenues of over . Chopra's performance and look in the film were praised. For her performances in both ''Fashion'' and ''Dostana'', she jointly won the
Stardust Award for Actor of the Year – Female The Stardust Star of the Year Award - Female is chosen by the readers of the annual Stardust magazine. The award honours a star that has made an impact with their acting in that certain film. Here is a list of the award winners and the films for ...
.


Experiment with unconventional roles (2009–2011)

In 2009, Chopra played a feisty
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...
woman named Sweety in Vishal Bhardwaj's caper thriller ''
Kaminey ''Kaminey'' ( en, Scoundrels, italic=yes) is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and produced by Ronnie Screwvala under UTV Motion Pictures, featuring Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Amole Gupte ...
'' (co-starring Shahid Kapoor), about twin brothers and the journey in their life linked with the underworld. The film received critical acclaim and became successful at the box-office with the worldwide gross earnings of . Nikhat Kazmi of ''The Times of India'' thought that Chopra's role completely reinvented her, and Rajeev Masand wrote: "Springing a delightful surprise in a smaller part is hopra who sprinkles her lines with a smattering of fluent Marathi and emerges one of the film's most lovable characters." Raja Sen of ''Rediff.com'' named Chopra's performance as the best by an actress that year. Her role earned her several awards and nominations, including a second consecutive Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role after ''Fashion'' and Best Actress nominations at the
Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
, Screen and IIFA awards. Chopra subsequently appeared in Ashutosh Gowariker's romantic comedy ''
What's Your Raashee? ''What's Your Raashee?'' () is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It was produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Sunita A. Gowariker. The film stars Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra, with Da ...
'', based on the novel ''Kimball Ravenswood'' by
Madhu Rye Madhu Rye is a Gujarati playwright, novelist and story writer. Born in Gujarat and educated at Calcutta, he started writing in the 1960s and became known for his stories and plays. His experience at the University of Hawaii introduced him to exp ...
. The film depicts the story of a US-based Gujrati
NRI NRI or Nri may refer to : * Kingdom of Nri, an Igbo kingdom that flourished between the 10th century and early 20th century * National Radio Institute, a now defunct post-secondary vocational correspondence school * National Resources Inventory * N ...
in search of his soulmate among 12 girls (all played by Chopra) associated with the 12 zodiac signs. She received a nomination for the Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. She was considered for inclusion in the '' Guinness World Records'' book for being the first film actress to portray 12 distinct characters in one film. Chopra's heavy workloadfilming for several productions, travelling for endorsements and performing at live shows (including the Miss India pageant)took its toll; she fainted during filming, and was admitted to hospital. In 2010, Chopra starred with Uday Chopra in Jugal Hansraj's romantic comedy ''
Pyaar Impossible! ''Pyaar Impossible!'' () is a 2010 Indian romantic comedy film directed by Jugal Hansraj that was released under the banner of Yash Raj Films. It features Priyanka Chopra and Uday Chopra playing the leads with Advika Yadav, Anupam Kher, and Dino ...
'' as Alisha, a popular college girl (and later a working mother) who falls in love with a socially inept man. Later that year, she starred with Ranbir Kapoor in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy-drama ''
Anjaana Anjaani ''Anjaana Anjaani'' () is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor as two suicidal strangers who meet and make a pact ...
''. Set in New York and Las Vegas, the film follows the story of two suicidal strangers who fall in love with each other. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success at the box office. She starred as a
femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...
in her first film of 2011, Vishal Bhardwaj's black comedy '' 7 Khoon Maaf''. Based on the short story ''Susanna's Seven Husbands'' by Ruskin Bond, ''7 Khoon Maaf'' centers on Chopra's Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes, an Anglo-Indian woman who murders her husbands in an unending quest for love. The film and her performance received acclaim from critics. Nikhat Kazmi labelled the film "a milestone in Chopra's career graph", complimenting her "exquisite command over a complex character that is definitely a first in Indian cinema". Rachel Saltz of '' New York Times'' felt that Susanna was more conceit than a character and that Chopra "though charming as always, can't make her cohere". Chopra's performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) and a nomination for the Filmfare Award, IIFA Award, Producers Guild Film Award, and Screen Award for Best Actress. Chopra's final release of the year saw her reprising her role as Roma in the second installment of the '' Don'' franchise, ''
Don 2 ''Don 2: The King Is Back'', also known as ''Don 2'', is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Farhan Akhtar. It is the second installment in the '' Don reboot series''. Jointly produced by Excel ...
''. Although the film received mixed reviews, Chopra's performance earned positive feedback from critics. According to '' The Express Tribune'', "Chopra ... seems to be the perfect choice for an action heroine. As you watch her effortlessly beat up some thugs in the movie, you come to the realization that she may be the first proper female action hero in Bollywood." ''Don 2'' was a major success in India and overseas, earning over worldwide.


Further success (2012–2014)

Chopra's first film of 2012 was
Karan Malhotra Karan Malhotra is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his debut film '' Agneepath'' (2012) which emerged as one of the highest grossing Bollywood film of the year. Before marking his directorial debut with Dharma Pr ...
's action drama '' Agneepath'', in which she starred with Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor. Produced by Karan Johar, the film is a remake of his father's 1990 production of the same name. In one of several accidents to happen during production, Chopra's '' lehenga'' (a traditional skirt) caught fire while filming a sequence for an elaborate Ganpati festival song. She featured as Kaali Gawde, Roshan's loquacious love interest in the film.
Mayank Shekhar Mayank Shekhar is an Indian film critic, journalist and author. He has been a film critic and a national cultural editor with ''Hindustan Times''. He previously worked under ''Mumbai Mirror'' and ''MiD DAY''. He also used to write a blog, ''Fad Fo ...
noted how much Chopra stood out in the male-dominated film. ''Agneepath'' broke Bollywood's highest opening-day earnings record, and had a worldwide gross of . Chopra next co-starred with Shahid Kapoor in
Kunal Kohli Kunal Kohli is an Indian film director, producer, actor and writer in Bollywood. He is best known as the director of '' Hum Tum'' (2004) and '' Fanaa'' (2006). He also owns the production house Kunal Kohli Productions, whose first was his ''T ...
's romance, '' Teri Meri Kahaani''. The film relates the stories of three unconnected couples (each played by Kapoor and Chopra), born in different eras. Anurag Basu's '' Barfi!'', with Ranbir Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz, was her final appearance of 2012. Set in the 1970s, the film tells the story of three people, two of whom are physically disabled. Chopra played Jhilmil Chatterjee, an autistic woman who falls in love with a deaf, mute man (Kapoor). Director Rituparno Ghosh considered it a "very, very brave" role to accept given how demanding it is for an actor to convincingly portray a woman with autism. To prepare for the role, Chopra visited several mental institutions and spent time with autistic people. The film received critical acclaim and was a major commercial success, earning worldwide. Rachit Gupta of ''
Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English language, English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, r ...
'' found Chopra to be the film's "surprise package" and found her performance to be "the best representation of utismon Indian celluloid". Pratim D. Gupta of '' The Telegraph'' highly praised Kapoor and Chopra, although he found her to be a "tad showy" in her part. Chopra received Best Actress nominations at the Filmfare, Screen, IIFA and Producers Guild Film Awards. The film was chosen as India's entry for the 85th Academy Awards. ''Agneepath'' and ''Barfi!'' ranked among the highest grossing Bollywood films to that point. In 2013, she lent her voice to the character of Ishaani, the reigning Pan-Asian champion from India and the love interest of the main protagonist in the Disneytoon Studios film ''
Planes Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * ''Planes' ...
'', a spinoff of Pixar's ''Cars'' franchise. Chopra, a fan of
Disney films This is a list of films produced by and released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner (known as that since 1983, with '' Never Cry Wolf'' as its first release) and films released before that under the former name of the parent company, Wal ...
, had fun voicing the character saying "The closest I could come to being a
Disney princess ''Disney Princess'', also called the ''Princess Line'', is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who ha ...
, I think, was Ishaani". The film was a commercial success, grossing approximately US$240 million worldwide. She played an NRI girl in the Apoorva Lakhia's bilingual action drama '' Zanjeer'' (''Thoofan'' in Telugu), a remake of the 1973 Hindi film of the same name, which met with poor reactions from critics and was unsuccessful at the box office. Chopra next reprised her role of Priya in Rakesh Roshan's '' Krrish 3''a sequel to the 2006 superhero film ''Krrish''with Hrithik Roshan, Vivek Oberoi and Kangana Ranaut. Critics felt that Chopra had very little to do in the film. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV writing that she "is saddled with a sketchily written role and is reduced to the status of a hanger-on waiting for things to unfold". The feature became a box-office success, earning over worldwide, to become Chopra's biggest commercial success to that point and her fourth major hit in two years. She danced a contemporary mujra in the song " Ram Chahe Leela" for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's '' Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela.'' In 2014, Chopra played the lead female role in Yash Raj Films's romantic action drama '' Gunday'' directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, alongside Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Irrfan Khan. She portrayed Nandita, a cabaret dancer in Calcutta. Set in the 1970s, the film tells the story of two best friends who fall in love with Nandita. ''Gunday'' proved to be a box-office success, grossing over worldwide. Chopra next starred as the title character in '' Mary Kom'', a biographical film of the five time world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom. To prepare for the role, she spent time with Kom and received four months of boxing training. The film premiered at the
2014 Toronto International Film Festival The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 39th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held in Canada from 4–14 September 2014. David Dobkin's film '' The Judge'', starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duv ...
, received positive reviews from critics, and her performance received critical acclaim.
Sudhish Kamath Sudhish Kamath is an Indian film critic working with the daily newspaper ''The Hindu'' and also an Independent filmmaker. He started working as a Chief reporter with a tabloid called Metro Ads in 1995. Then, from 1997, he worked for A.M.Plus, ...
from ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' criticized the film's screenplay but praised Chopra's "knockout" performance, writing "The spirited actress rises above the material and makes us invest in her and does full justice to the spirit" of the boxer. The
Indo-Asian News Service Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. Their main offices are located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The se ...
review noted the actress for expressing every shade of the character with "a pitch-perfect bravado". ''Mary Kom'' emerged as a commercial success, with revenues of at the box office. She won the Screen Award for Best Actress, the Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and received another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.


Expansion into American film and television (2015–2019)

In 2015, Chopra starred in Zoya Akhtar's '' Dil Dhadakne Do'', an ensemble comedy-drama alongside Anil Kapoor,
Shefali Shah Shefali Shah (born Shefali Shetty on 22 May 1973) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Respected for her acting prowess, she works primarily in independent Hindi films and has received local and foreign accolades for her perf ...
, Ranveer Singh,
Anushka Sharma Anushka Sharma (; born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress and former producer who works in Hindi films. She has received several awards, including a Filmfare Award. One of the highest-paid actresses in India as of 2018, she has appeared in '' F ...
and Farhan Akhtar. The film tells the story of a dysfunctional Punjabi family (the Mehras), who invite their family and friends on a cruise trip to celebrate the parents' 30th wedding anniversary. She portrayed the role of Ayesha Mehra, a successful entrepreneur and the eldest child. Pratim D. Gupta from ''The Telegraph'' wrote of Chopra, "From the propah body language to the measured speech ..shows the kind of depth she is able to bring to her lines and characters these days. Conversely, Shubhra Gupta of '' The Indian Express'' commented that it was time for her "to being a little messy: all these not-a-hair-out-place roles are making her constrained." The cast of ''Dil Dhadakne Do'' won the Screen Award for Best Ensemble Cast, and Chopra was nominated for a Screen Award, IIFA Award, and Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress. In 2016, she dubbed for Kaa, a female python in the
OTT Ott, OTT or O.T.T. may refer to: Entertainment * OTT (group), a pop band from the late 1990s * Ott (record producer), British record producer and musician * "O.T.T" (song), a song by Fugative * ''O.T.T.'' (television series), a UK TV programme f ...
film ''The Jungle Book''. Chopra signed a talent holding deal with ABC Studios and was later cast in the American thriller series '' Quantico'' as the character Alex Parrish. The series premiered on 27 September 2015 on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
, making Chopra the first South Asian to headline an American network drama series. The series received positive reviews from television critics and Chopra was praised for her performance. Rob Lowman of the ''
Los Angeles Daily News The ''Los Angeles Daily News'' is the second-largest-circulating paid daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado-based Digital First Media. The offices of the ''Dai ...
'' applauded her "dynamic screen presence" and James Poniewozik of '' The New York Times'' named Chopra as the "strongest human asset" of the show, and added that "she is immediately charismatic and commanding." She received the People's Choice Award for Favourite Actress In A New TV Series for her role in ''Quantico'', becoming the first South Asian actress to win a People's Choice Award. The following year, Chopra won a second People's Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic TV Actress. ''Quantico'' was cancelled after three seasons in 2018. Chopra next portrayed
Kashibai Kashibai was the first wife of Bajirao I, the Peshwa (Prime Minister) to the fourth Maratha Chhatrapati (Emperor) Shahu. With Bajirao, she had four children, including Balaji Baji Rao and Ragunath Rao. Balaji succeeded Bajirao as Peshwa upon the ...
, the first wife of the Maratha general Peshwa Bajirao I, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic historical romantic drama '' Bajirao Mastani''. The feature opened to highly positive reviews, and Chopra received widespread praise for her portrayal which several reviewers regarded as her best performance to date. Rajeev Masand wrote "the film benefits from a nice touch of playfulness and humor in Priyanka Chopra's Kashibai. Chopra brings grace to the character, and practically steals the film." Film critic Raja Sen thought that Chopra, despite not being in the title role, owned the film, and wrote "Chopra's terrific in the part, her intelligently expressive eyes speaking volumes and her no-nonsense Marathi rhythm bang-on." A major commercial success, ''Bajirao Mastani'' grossed at the box office, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. For her performance, she won the Filmfare Award,
IIFA Award The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...
, and
Screen Award The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...
for Best Supporting Actress, and received a nomination for the Producers Guild Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. In 2016, Chopra starred as a police officer in Prakash Jha's social drama ''
Jai Gangaajal ''Jai Gangaajal'' () is a 2016 Indian crime drama film directed by Prakash Jha. It is a follow-up to the 2003 crime film '' Gangaajal'', and stars Priyanka Chopra in the lead role with Jha appearing in a supporting role. It also features Manav ...
''. Writing for ''The Hindu'', Namrata Joshi thought that she "looks off-colour, disinterested and uninvolved with the goings on through most of the film". It did not perform well commercially. The following year, Chopra made her Hollywood live-action film debut by playing the antagonist Victoria Leeds in Seth Gordon's action comedy '' Baywatch'' opposite Dwayne Johnson and
Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' trilo ...
. The feature received unfavorable reviews.
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
declared Chopra as the highlight of the film, noting she "outshines pretty much anyone she's in a scene with" and wrote "Chopra's engaging and interesting and is the only character that speaks with any kind of distinctive cadence." Scott Mendelson of '' Forbes'' wrote "Chopra has fun as the baddie, but she stays in the background until the end of the movie and really only gets one big scene at the end of the picture." ''Baywatch'' was not a commercial success in North America but the film performed well in the overseas markets, grossing approximately $178 million at the worldwide box office. The 2018
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
marked the release of Chopra's next American film, '' A Kid Like Jake'', a drama about gender variance, starring Jim Parsons and Claire Danes. Amy Nicholson of ''Variety'' commended her "charming presence" but thought that her role added little value to the film. In early 2019, she had signed on to play the leading lady opposite Salman Khan in ''
Bharat Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to: * Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages ** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent (or South Asia) * Bharata, the name of several legendary figures or groups: ** Bhara ...
'', but opted out days before filming her scenes. Nikhil Namit, a producer of the film, said that she quit due to her engagement to Nick Jonas and accused her of being "a little unprofessional". In 2019, Chopra had another supporting part, as a yoga ambassador, in
Todd Strauss-Schulson Todd Strauss-Schulson (born June 24, 1980) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and cinematographer, best known for directing the comedy film '' A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas'' (2011), the horror comedy film '' The F ...
's comedy ''
Isn't It Romantic "Isn't It Romantic?" is a popular song and part of the Great American Songbook. The music was composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It has a 32-bar chorus in A–B–A–C form. Alec Wilder, in his book ''American Popular So ...
'', which starred Rebel Wilson. The film was well received by critics and grossed approximately $49 million at the North American box office.
Dana Schwartz Dana Jae Schwartz (born January 7, 1993) is an American journalist, screenwriter and author. She was previously a correspondent at ''Entertainment Weekly''; she is also the author of four books. She also writes and hosts ''Noble Blood'', a histo ...
of '' Entertainment Weekly'' considered her to be "perfectly cast" but Benjamin Lee of '' The Guardian'' thought that she was "not quite interesting enough". She returned to Hindi cinema later in 2019 with Shonali Bose's biographical drama ''
The Sky Is Pink ''The Sky Is Pink'' is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language biographical romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Shonali Bose and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Ronnie Screwvala and Priyanka Chopra Jonas under their production companies ...
'', in which she played mother to
Aisha Chaudhary Aisha Chaudhary (27 March 1996 24 January 2015) was an Indian author and motivational speaker. She is the author of the book ''My Little Epiphanies'', published one day before her death. The 2019 Hindi film ''The Sky Is Pink'' is based on her ...
, a teenager suffering from a terminal illness. She also produced the project, and connected with the story for its blend of humour and tragedy. Kate Erbland of IndieWire found her to be "extraordinary" as "the film's driving force, a tough-talking mama bear", and Anna M. M. Vetticad took note of the "simmering restraint" in her performance. The film did not do well at the box office. She received another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.


2020–present

Chopra's only release of 2020 was the Netflix kids superhero film '' We Can Be Heroes'' directed by Robert Rodriguez. She starred as Ms. Granada, the director of a superhero organization called Heroics. The feature received generally positive reviews, with critics noting its "sophisticated themes with heart and zealous originality". Richard Roeper from the '' Chicago Sun-Times'' praised the actress for "livening up the proceedings" as the strait-laced Ms. Granada, and Ian Freer of the '' Empire'' magazine felt that she did the "kids' film acting to the hilt". Chopra's first film of 2021 was Ramin Bahrani's ''
The White Tiger A white tiger is a tiger with a genetic condition affecting its pelt's pigmentation. White tiger, White Tiger or The White Tiger may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Characters * White Tiger (comics), various Marvel Comics superhero ...
'', an adaptation of Aravind Adiga's satirical novel of the same name. She portrayed the role of Pinky Madam alongside Adarsh Gourav and Rajkummar Rao, and also executive produced this Netflix production. Critical reviews towards the film and her performance were positive. Writing for '' The Times'', film critic
Kevin Maher Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland internationall ...
deemed Chopra's performance as "impressive" and ''The Hollywood Reporter''s David Rooney took note of the actress for bringing "emotional depth" to her role. The film received a
Best Adapted Screenplay This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
nomination at the 93rd Academy Awards. Later that year, she had a supporting role in the science fiction film '' The Matrix Resurrections''. Chopra will next lead the romantic comedy '' Love Again'' opposite Sam Heughan and Celine Dion. She will star alongside Richard Madden in
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
's thriller series '' Citadel''. As a producer, she signed multimillion-dollar first-look TV deal with
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
and also partners with ViacomCBS to back content by first time
BIPOC The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
filmmakers and women directors.


Music career

Chopra's main vocal influence was her father, who helped develop her interest in singing. She used her vocal talent early in her pageantry career. Her first recording, the song "Ullathai Killathe" in the Tamil film '' Thamizhan'' (2002), was made at the urging of her director and co-star, Vijay (who had noticed her singing on the set). She declined to sing
playback Playback or Play Back may refer to: Film * ''Playback'' (1962 film), a British film in the ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' series * ''Playback'', a 1996 film starring Shannon Whirry * ''Playback'' (2012 film), an American horror film by Michael A. N ...
for "Tinka Tinka" in her film ''Karam'' (2005), preferring to concentrate on her acting career, but later sang the song live on the television programme '' Sa Re Ga Ma Pa''. Chopra recorded an unreleased song for ''Bluffmaster!'' (2005). In August 2011, Universal Music Group signed Chopra to a worldwide recording agreement with
DesiHits Background DesiHits is a multi-platform media company that produces and distributes fusion entertainment content aimed at the South Asian diaspora. The Company was founded in 2006 by Anjula Acharia-Bath, Ranj Bath and Arun Sandhu, and is headquart ...
. The deal indicated that her first studio album would be released by
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
in North America and by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
elsewhere. In July 2012, Chopra became the first Bollywood star signed by Creative Artists Agency, an entertainment and sports agency based in Los Angeles. The album was produced by
RedOne Nadir Khayat ( ar, نادر الخياط; born 9 April 1972), better known by his stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. As a record producer and songwriter, he has worked with many high-profi ...
. Her first single, "
In My City "In My City" is the debut single by Indian recording artist and actress Priyanka Chopra, featuring American rapper will.i.am. The song was produced by RedOne, Rush and Brian Kennedy, and was co-written by Ester Dean, who provides additional voc ...
", debuted in the US on 13 September 2012 in a TV spot for the NFL Network's
Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
; a shortened version of the song was used to open each show of the season. "In My City" features rapper
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...
; according to Chopra, a co-writer, the song was inspired by her unsettled childhood and her journey from a small-town girl to a celebrity. The song received mixed reviews from critics, and was a commercial success in India; it sold more than 130,000 copies in its first week, topped the Hindi pop chart and was certified triple platinum. In the United States the single was unsuccessful, with 5,000 digital downloads in its first week according to
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
, and did not receive radio play. In October 2012, the single won her the Best International Debut award at the
People's Choice Awards India The People's Choice Awards India was an awards show held on October 27, 2012, in Mumbai, India, and which aired on Colors TV on November 25. An adaptation of the US version, the Indian edition is licensed and produced by Bulldog Media & Enter ...
. In December 2012, she received three nominations: Best Female Artist, Best Song and Best Video (for "In My City") at the World Music Awards. Chopra was also featured on "Erase", an
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstra ...
song produced by the American DJ and producer duo
The Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The EDM- pop duo achieved a breakthrough with the ...
. In July 2013, Chopra released her second single "
Exotic Exotic may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Exotic R4, a differentiable 4-manifold, homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the Euclidean space R4 * Exotic sphere, a differentiable ''n''-manifold, homeomorphic but not diffeomorphic to the ordina ...
" featuring American rapper
Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
, along with its music video. "Exotic" debuted at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Dance/Electronic Songs and number 11 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart on 27 July 2013 issue. The single also entered at number 74 on the
Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
chart. "Exotic" debuted at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs chart and peaked at number 12. Her third single, a cover of
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
's "
I Can't Make You Love Me "I Can't Make You Love Me" is a song written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by American singer Bonnie Raitt for her eleventh studio album, '' Luck of the Draw'' (1991). Released as the album's second single in 1991, "I Can't Make ...
" was released in April 2014. The song peaked at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Chopra's first song as a playback singer in Bollywood was "Chaoro", a lullaby from ''Mary Kom'' (2014). In 2015, she sang the title song, a duet with Farhan Akhtar, for ''Dil Dhadakne Do''. She recorded a promotional song for ''Ventilator'' (2016), making her Marathi language playback singing debut with "Baba". In 2017, Chopra collaborated with the Australian DJ
Will Sparks William James "Will" Sparks (born 15 March 1993) is an Australian producer and DJ from Melbourne, Australia, who is best known for his 2013 single " Bring It Back" with Joel Fletcher and his 2014 single " Ah Yeah So What!" featuring Wiley and E ...
for "Young and Free", an EDM song which she also wrote.


Philanthropy

Chopra supports various causes through her foundation "The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education", which works towards providing support to unprivileged children across the country in the areas of Education and Health. She donates ten percent of her earnings to fund the foundation's operations, and pays for educational and medical expenses for seventy children in India, fifty among whom are girls. She often speaks out on women's issues: against female
infanticide Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...
and foeticide, and in support of
education for girls Female education is a catch-all term of a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girl ...
. A believer in feminism, Chopra has always been vocal about women's rights, gender equality, and
gender pay gap The gender pay gap or gender wage gap is the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working. Women are generally found to be paid less than men. There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: non-adjusted ...
. In 2006, a "day with Chopra" was auctioned on eBay; the proceeds were donated to an NGO, Nanhi Kali, which helps educate girls in India. She has made appearances in support of other charities, such as the 2005 HELP! Telethon Concert to raise funds for the victims of the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
. She has worked with UNICEF since 2006, recording public-service announcements and participating in media panel discussions promoting children's rights and the education of girls, and also participated in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. She was appointed as the national
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and advocates who are designated by the United Nations. The United Nations Intern ...
for Child Rights on 10 August 2010. UNICEF Representative Karin Hulshof said of the appointment: "She is equally passionate about her work on behalf of children and adolescents. We are proud of the work she has done with us so far on child rights, and, we are thrilled about all what we will be doing together so that no child gets left behind." In 2009, she shot a documentary for the organisation Alert India to increase understanding of leprosy. She modelled for designer Manish Malhotra and Shaina NC's charity fashion show to raise funds for the Cancer Patients Aid Association NGO. In 2010 Chopra was one of several celebrities who created promotional messages for Pearls Wave Trust, which campaigns against violence and abuse of women and girls. Chopra also launched the "Save the Girl Child" campaign, which aims to change the attitudes of Indians towards girls. In 2012 Chopra spoke at the launch of Awakening Youth, an anti-addiction programme. At a public event in 2019, an activist criticised Chopra for a tweet in which she hailed India's military forces while tensions amid Pakistan and India were escalating. The main line of argument was that she was warmongering and that was incompatible with her job as UN Peace Ambassador. Chopra's response at the event was that she is patriotic; she was also fast to silence the activist criticising her. Pakistan asked for Chopra being sacked from her UN job but UN supported Chopra's right to talk for herself. Chopra is a supporter of environmental charities and is brand ambassador for NDTV Greenathon, an initiative to support eco-friendliness and provide solar power to rural villages without electricity supplies. She appeared with children in an animated video to support the cause, and removed rubbish from the banks of the Yamuna river in Agra to increase awareness of environmental issues. During the third and fourth editions of Greenathon, She adopted up to seven villages to provide with a regular supply of electricity. She adopted a tigress in 2011 and a lioness in 2012 at the Birsa biological park, paying for both animals upkeep for a year. To promote organ donation, Chopra pledged to donate her own organs after death and was co-keynote speaker at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Bollywood-themed 20th-anniversary celebration of its liver-transplant programme in 2012. She donated to Nanavati hospital to build a cancer ward. The ward, which is named after her late father, was inaugurated by her in 2013. The same year, she provided voice-over in English and Hindi for the documentary film '' Girl Rising'' for the organisation of the same name. She was invited as one of the speakers alongside Gordon Brown,
Steve Wozniak Stephen Gary Wozniak (; born August 11, 1950), also known by his nickname "Woz", is an American electronics engineer, computer programmer, philanthropist, inventor, and technology entrepreneur. In 1976, with business partner Steve Jobs, he c ...
, Bill Clinton, and Charlie Baker for the 50th anniversary of the World Leaders Conference at the
Hynes Convention Center The John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center is a convention center located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1988 from a design by architects Kallmann, McKinnell & Wood. It replaced the John B. Hynes Memorial Auditorium, also ...
, Boston. She spoke about
women empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.Kabeer, Naila ...
through education, discussing inequality and the challenges of education for women, and received a standing ovation for her speech. Chopra also lent her voice to a music video of John Lennon's " Imagine". The video featuring her along with other singers, including
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
, and The Black Eyed Peas was created as part of a global campaign by UNICEF to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi selected Chopra as one of his nine nominees called "Navratna" in 2014 for the
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or Clean India Mission is a country-wide campaign initiated by the Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management. It is a restructured version of ...
, a national cleanliness campaign by the Government of India. She lent her support to the campaign by working as a sanitation worker for a day, cleaning and rehabilitating a
garbage Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produc ...
-laden neighbourhood in Mumbai, and urged people to maintain the cleanliness. In 2015, she voiced People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA's) life-size robotic elephant named "Ellie", who visited schools across the United States and Europe to educate kids about elephants and captivity, and to urge people to boycott circuses. Chopra was appointed as the global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in December 2016. In 2017, '' Variety'' honoured her with the Power of Women award for her philanthropic work with UNICEF and she received the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice for her contribution towards social causes. Two years later, Chopra was awarded the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF for her "philanthropic work and dedication towards the welfare of the society" at the UNICEF Snowflake Ball 2019. In December 2019, Chopra teamed-up with the
United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
and the Crocs Company to donate 50,000 pairs of shoes to deserving school children in the Central American country, Belize. In late April 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, Chopra along with husband Nick opened a fundraiser along with NGO GiveIndia to get donations for oxygen supply, COVID-19 care centers, testing, and vaccination efforts. The fundraiser had achieved USD 400,000 in the first few days. Chopra's brother-in-law Kevin Jonas also urged his followers to help donate to the fundraiser. By 13 May 2021, the fundraiser had achieved the $1 million landmark and put its newer target at $3 million for COVID-19 relief.


Other work


Film production and entrepreneurship

Chopra set up her production company Purple Pebble Pictures with an aim to produce small budget films and introduce and promote new talent in the Indian film industry, particularly regional Indian films. Her first Marathi film, the 2016 comedy-drama '' Ventilator'', was a box office success and went on to win three awards at the
64th National Film Awards The 64th National Film Awards was an award ceremony during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presents its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2016 in the Indian cinema. The awards were announced on 7 April 2017, and the ...
. She went on to produce several Indian regional language films, including '' Pahuna: The Little Visitors'' (2018) and ''Paani'' (2019), which won the National Film Award for Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation at the
66th National Film Awards The 66th National Film Awards ceremony was the award ceremony which took place in 2019 to honour the best films of 2018, in the Indian cinema. The declaration of awards was delayed due to 2019 Indian general election. Selection process The Direc ...
. Chopra started investing in tech companies in 2018 by investing in a coding education startup called Holberton School and the dating and social media app Bumble. The Bumble app was launched in India with the help of Chopra in October 2018. In 2021, it was reported that she had invested in the US-based rental marketplace
Apartment List Apartment List is an American online marketplace for apartment listings. In January 2018, Apartment List had over 4 million units on its platform. History The co-founders, John Kobs and Chris Erickson, launched Apartment List in September 2011 ...
. At the
Startup India Startup India is an initiative of the Government of India. The campaign was first announced by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi during his speech on 15 August 2015. The action plan of this initiative is focussing on three areas: # Simplif ...
Prarambh event 2021, Chopra said that "ideas are the currency of the present" and that she was looking forward to further invest in a mix of beauty and tech startups. The same month, she launched a haircare line called "Anamoly Haircare" which became available exclusively in
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
stores in the United States on 1 February 2021 and was planned to be available internationally later that year. In March 2021, Chopra opened her new restaurant ''Sona'' in Manhattan, featuring haute-couture Indian cuisine.


Television presenting and stage performances

In 2007, Chopra was on the judges' panel of the Miss India pageant. She stated, "Miss India will always remain special. That's where it all started for me. And maybe that's where it would've ended if I hadn't won the crown." She also served as a judge at Miss World 2009. She visited Jawan troops in Tenga, in eastern India, for a special episode of the NDTV show ''Jai Jawan'' celebrating the 60th anniversary of India's independence. In 2010, she hosted the third season of the reality show ''
Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi ''Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi'' (''Fear Factor: Players of Danger'') also known as (Khatron Ke Khiladi) is an Indian Hindi-language stunt based reality television series based on the American series ''Fear Factor''. First launched as ''Fea ...
'' on the Colors channel, taking over from previous host Akshay Kumar. According to contestants, in hosting the series, Chopra had "transformed into quite a whip-wielding dictator", relentlessly pushing the contestants to work. She performed most of her own stunts, adamant to prove that she could rival Akshay Kumar, who had hosted the previous two seasons. The opening ratings of the show topped those of the two previous seasons. The show was praised by critics, and earned her the
Indian Telly Award The Indian Telly Awards is an annual award for excellence both on-screen and behind-the-scenes of Hindi-language television. Conceptualised and created by Anil Wanvari, the founder, CEO of media and services group, indiantelevision.com, they a ...
for Most Impactful Debut on Television. In February 2016, Chopra presented the award for Best Film Editing at the 88th Academy Awards. Chopra has participated in a number of world tours and concerts. She took part in a world concert tour, "Temptations 2004", and performed with other Bollywood actors (including Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan,
Rani Mukerji Rani Mukerji (pronounced ; born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Rani Mukerji, multiple accolades, including seven Filmf ...
, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal) in 19 stage shows. In 2011, she participated (with Shahid Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan) in a concert in Durban, South Africa celebrating 150 years of India–South Africa friendship. In 2012, she performed at
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, commonly known as the Chepauk Stadium, is a cricket stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1916, it is the second oldest cricket stadium in the country after Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Formerly known as Ma ...
, Chennai in the
opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.
of the fifth season of cricket's Indian Premier League with Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Katy Perry. The same year, she performed at
Dubai Festival City Dubai Festival City ( ar, دبي فستيفال سيتي) is a large residential, business and entertainment development in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, owned by Al-Futtaim Group. Dubai Festival City is the Middle East's largest mixed- ...
's Ahlan Bollywood Concert with other Bollywood stars such as Salman Khan and Sophie Choudry. In 2021, Chopra along with her husband Nick Jonas, announced the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards.


Writing

Chopra began writing an opinion column for the ''Hindustan Times'' in 2009. She wrote a total of 50 columns for the newspaper. She said after her first year of writing: "I'm a private person and never thought that I could express my feelings. But strangely enough, whenever I sat down to write this column, my inner most thoughts came to the fore." In March 2009, she met several readers who had submitted feedback on her weekly column. She continued to write sporadically for newspapers. In August 2012 she wrote a column published in '' The Times of India'' titled "No woman in Mumbai feels safe any longer", discussing the murder of 25-year-old Pallavi Purkayastha, whom she met while working on ''Don''. In the article, Chopra expressed her views about the safety of women in cities. In a July 2014 article published in '' The Guardian'', Chopra criticised
female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...
and child marriage. Later that year, Chopra wrote an op-ed for '' The New York Times'' titled "What
Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
Knew" about the importance of education for girls. She praised and quoted Nobel Peace Prize winners Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, and described how her desire to help others was triggered when, at 9, she joined her parents while they volunteered their spare time to offer modern health care to the rural poor. In late 2014, Chopra began writing a monthly column, "Pret-a-Priyanka", for '' Elle''. In an article published in January 2015, she expressed her views on diversity and being a global citizen. Released by Penguin Random House, Chopra published her first memoir titled ''
Unfinished Unfinished may refer to: *Unfinished creative work, a work which a creator either chose not to finish or was prevented from finishing. Music * Symphony No. 8 (Schubert) "Unfinished" * ''Unfinished'' (album), 2011 album by American singer Jor ...
'' on 9 February 2021. In a reve review, Associated Press's Molly Sprayregen termed the book "deeply open and honest account" and wrote "Chopra Jonas' writing is open, engaging, and full of energy. She writes, it seems, to connect. The experience feels intimate, like Chopra Jonas is exchanging stories with a friend over coffee. Her stories are exceedingly personal, and despite being an international movie star, many of them even feel relatable." ''Unfinished'' reached ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list in the United States.


Personal life

Chopra has maintained a strong relationship with her family, including her younger brother, Siddharth, and lives in an apartment on the same floor as her family. She was especially close to her father, who died in June 2013; in 2012, she got a tattoo reading "Daddy's lil girl" in his handwriting. Having not come from a film background, she describes herself as a self-made woman. Her mother, a well-established
gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with ...
in Bareilly, gave up her practice to support Chopra as she embarked upon a film career. A practicing
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
, Chopra performs a puja every morning at a small shrine consisting of various murtis of Hindu deities in her home, which she even travels with. Although she is known for her media-friendly attitude, Chopra is publicly reticent about her personal life. Chopra started dating American singer and actor, Nick Jonas in May 2018. Jonas proposed to her on 19 July 2018, a day after her birthday in
Crete, Greece Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterr ...
. Chopra and Jonas became engaged in August 2018 in a Punjabi Roka ceremony in Mumbai. In December 2018, the couple married at Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur in traditional Hindu and Christian ceremonies. Following the marriage, Chopra legally changed her full name to "Priyanka Chopra Jonas". In January 2022, the couple had their first child, a girl, via
surrogacy Surrogacy is an arrangement, often supported by a legal agreement, whereby a woman agrees to delivery/labour for another person or people, who will become the child's parent(s) after birth. People may seek a surrogacy arrangement when pregnan ...
.


Public image

Chopra is known in the Indian media and film industry for her professionalism and is popularly referred to by the media and the film industry as "PeeCee" or "PC". She is also referred to as "Piggy Chops", a nickname given her by co-stars on the set of ''Bluffmaster!'' in 2005. She has had a Twitter account since January 2009, and is the tenth most followed Indian on the platform. In 2012, she was declared the most influential Indian on social-media in a survey conducted by Pinstorm and in 2015, Chopra appeared in '' HuffPost''s "100 Most Influential Women on Twitter" list, in which she was ranked first among Indians. She is the most followed Asian woman as well as one of the most-followed people on Instagram. Chopra is also the most followed and liked Indian actor on Facebook. Remarking upon her role choices, CNN-IBN described Chopra "as one of the most powerful actresses in the current lot and someone who doesn't shy away from experimenting with roles within the realms of popular cinema". Analysing Chopra's career, Bollywood Hungama noted: "Despite a career that has seen a constant flip-flop ... the performer in her has seen a constant growth with every passing year." '' The Times of India'' called her a "game changer" for changing "the age-old demarcation between a hero and heroine". In 2012, film critic Subhash K. Jha labelled her "the best actress in the post-Sridevi generation" and listed her character in ''Barfi!'' as being "one of the finest inwardly ravaged characters in Bollywood." Chopra has often featured on Rediff.com's annual listing of "Bollywood's Best Actresses", ranking first in 2009, and was featured in their list of "Top 10 Actresses of 2000–2010".





Chopra is one of the most high-profile and popular celebrities in India and is described as a
sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...
and a style icon. Her figure, eyes, lips and exotic looks have been cited by the media as her distinctive physical features. Designers Falguni and Shane Peacock wrote, "She is comfortable in her own skin and looks ravishing in whatever she wears, be it a bikini, short or long dress or even a sari." She was named "India's Best-Dressed Woman of the Year" by ''People India'' in 2011. The actress ranks high on various listings of the most attractive, beautiful, and sexiest women in the world. The UK magazine ''
Eastern Eye The ''Eastern Eye'' is a British weekly newspaper. It was created in 1989 and was first published by ''The Guardian'', before becoming a standalone newspaper. History Sarwar Ahmed Sarwar Ahmed ( bn, সরয়ার আহমেদ; bor ...
'' ranked her first on their list of "World's Sexiest Asian Women", a record five times (2006, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017). Chopra also topped the '' Maxim India''s Hot 100 list on four occasions (2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018). In 2015, BuddyTV listed her as the Sexiest Woman on American Television. The following year, she was ranked fourth on AskMen's Top 99 Women, after having featured on the list in 2012. In 2017, Buzznet named her World's second "Most Beautiful Women", after Beyonce. The same year, Chopra was named one of '' People magazine''s Most Beautiful Women in the World. She was again featured in the list in 2019. Chopra was featured on ''
Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...
''s list of most powerful Indian women in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2016. Chopra was featured in '' The Indian Express''s listing of the most powerful Indians in 2016 and 2017. '' India Today'' featured her among India's 50 most powerful people in 2017 and 2018, ranking highest among the actresses. After her transition from Bollywood to Hollywood, Chopra began appearing in such lists in United States as well, with '' People'' featuring her as one of the " Most Intriguing People of the Year". The following year, '' Time'' magazine named her one of the
100 Most Influential People in the World ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...
. '' Forbes'' listed her among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017 and 2018. Chopra was twice (2017 and 2018) named one of the 500 most influential business leaders by '' Variety''. The market research firm YouGov named her the world's twelfth and fourteenth most admired woman in 2018 and 2019, respectively. '' USA Today'' featured her in their 2019 listing of 50 most powerful women in entertainment. Chopra is also one of the highest-paid Indian celebrities. She has featured in the Indian edition of " Celebrity 100" every year since its inception in 2012, ranking under top fifteen each year with the exception of 2018. Chopra was ranked as the highest earning Indian female celebrity in 2016 and 2017 with respective earnings of and , cracking top ten in both years and peaking at the seventh position, the only woman to make top ten in 2017. The global edition of ''Forbes'' named her the world's eight-highest-paid TV actress both years. Chopra is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. She was ranked second in the list of brand ambassadors of 2008 (only after Shah Rukh Khan) in a survey conducted by TAM AdEx. The following year, she topped their list, becoming the first woman in India to do so. Chopra has represented many brands, including TAG Heuer, Pepsi, Nikon, Nokia, Garnier and Nestlé; she was the first female representative of Hero Honda. In 2016, Chopra became the first Indian woman to represent Pantene as its global brand ambassador. In 2017, ''Forbes'' reported that Chopra earned at least $1 million per endorsement deal. In 2020, Chopra was one among several Bollywood actors who were criticised on social media for posting Instagram messages showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, despite their previous work advertising skin-lightening products which perpetuate colorism. In the past Chopra has expressed regret for promoting such products. Chopra and three other Bollywood actors (Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan) had their likenesses made into a series of miniature dolls for U.S. toy manufacturer Hasbro and the UK-based Bollywood Legends Corporation. In 2009, Chopra became the first Indian actress to cast a foot impression at the
Salvatore Ferragamo Museum The Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence, Italy, is a fashion museum dedicated to the life and work of Italian shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo Salvatore Ferragamo (5 June 1898 – 7 August 1960) was an Italian shoe designer and the founder ...
in Florence, Italy, and she received custom-designed shoes from the Ferragamo house.
Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in 1835 by French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud in London, spawning similar museums in major cities around the world. While it used to be spelled as "Madame Tussaud's"; the apostrophe is no longer us ...
museum installed four wax sculptures of the actress in 2019 at four locations, including
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, London,
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, and a traveling exhibit between several Asian cities, making her the first Indian actor to have wax statues in four Madame Tussauds museums. In 2013, she became the first Indian model to represent
Guess A guess (or an act of guessing) is a swift conclusion drawn from data directly at hand, and held as probable or tentative, while the person making the guess (the guesser) admittedly lacks material for a greater degree of certainty. A guess is als ...
, whose CEO
Paul Marciano Paul Marciano (born ) is a French-born American fashion designer, businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Guess? Inc; his black-and-white advertisements have won numerous Clio awards. Initially run by all four Marcia ...
called her "the young
Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...
". The actress became the first prominent Indian actress to be featured in a school textbook. Her life is described in a chapter of ''Roving Families, Shifting Homes'', a book taught at
Springdales School The Springdales Schools are a group of English-language, co-educational schools run by the Springdales Education Society in New Delhi, India. There are five branches of the school: Pusa Road, Dhaula Kuan, Jaipur, Kirti Nagar, and Dubai. They ha ...
. The book also includes pictures of her family and the moment she was crowned Miss World in 2000. Three unauthorised biographies of the actress has been published: Indu Prabhu's ''Priyanka Chopra: Road To Destiny'' (2016), Aseem Chhabra's ''Priyanka Chopra: The Incredible Story of a Global Bollywood Star'' (2018) and Bharathi S. Pradhan's ''Priyanka Chopra: The Dark Horse'' (2018).


Accolades

Chopra has won a National Film Award for Best Actress for ''Fashion'' (2008) and five Filmfare Awards: Best Female Debut for ''Andaaz'' (2003), Best Performance in a Negative Role for ''Aitraaz'' (2004), Best Actress for ''Fashion'' (2008), Critics Award for Best Actress for ''7 Khoon Maaf'' (2011), and Best Supporting Actress for ''Bajirao Mastani'' (2015). She has also won two People's Choice Awards: "Favourite Actress In A New TV Series", and "Favorite Dramatic TV Actress" for ''Quantico''. She is the first South Asian actress to win a People's Choice Award. In 2016, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, by the Government of India for her contribution to arts and was honored as one of the BBC 100 Women in 2022.


Books

*


See also

* Indians in the New York City metropolitan region * List of Priyanka Chopra performances


Explanatory notes


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chopra, Priyanka 1982 births Living people 21st-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian women singers Actresses from Bihar Actresses from Jharkhand Actresses in Hindi cinema Best Actress National Film Award winners Expatriate musicians in the United States Female models from Jharkhand Femina Miss India winners Filmfare Awards winners Indian expatriate actresses in the United States Indian expatriates in the United Kingdom Indian female models Indian film actresses Indian game show hosts Indian Hindus Indian philanthropists Indian television presenters Indian voice actresses Indian women philanthropists Indian women playback singers Indian women pop singers Indian women television presenters Interscope Records artists Island Records artists Jonas family La Martinière College, Lucknow alumni Miss World 2000 delegates Indian beauty pageant winners Miss World winners People from Bareilly People from Jamshedpur Punjabi women Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Screen Awards winners Singers from Jharkhand UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors Women musicians from Jharkhand Zee Cine Awards winners International Indian Film Academy Awards winners BBC 100 Women