Priyanka Chopra
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Chopra was born in Jamshedpur to parents who were both physicians in the Indian Army, causing the family to move frequently during her childhood, but she considers Bareilly her real home. As a teenager she lived for some years with an aunt in the United States. In 2000, her mother entered her into the Femina Miss India contest, in which she finished second and took the Miss India World title.[a] She was then entered into the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned Miss World 2000 and Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty—Asia & Oceania, becoming the fifth Indian to win the competition.
Although Chopra at one time aspired to study engineering or psychiatry, she accepted offers to join the Indian film industry, which came as a result of her pageant wins, making her acting debut in the Tamil film Thamizhan in 2002. The following year, she starred in The Hero, her first Hindi film release, and followed it with the box-office hit Andaaz, which won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She subsequently earned wide critical recognition for the role of a seductress in the 2004 thriller Aitraaz, winning her the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. By 2006, Chopra had established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema with starring roles in the highly successful films Krrish and Don. After receiving mixed reviews for a series of unsuccessful films, she received critical acclaim for her versatility in portraying a range of unconventional characters, including a troubled model in the 2008 drama Fashion, a feisty Marathi woman in the 2009 caper thriller Kaminey, a serial killer in the 2011 neo-noir 7 Khoon Maaf, an autistic woman in the 2012 romantic comedy Barfi!, and a boxer in the 2014 biographical sports drama Mary Kom. She starred in the action thriller Don 2 (2011), and featured briefly in the revenge drama Agneepath (2012) and the superhero film Krrish 3 (2013), all of which rank among the highest grossing Indian films of all time.
In addition to acting in films, she participates in stage shows, has hosted a reality show on television, and has written columns for India's national newspapers. Chopra has engaged in philanthropic activities, and was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights on 10 August 2010. She released her first single "In My City" in 2012. Her second single "Exotic" debuted in 2013, and charted in countries such as the United States and Canada.
Priyanka Chopra was born on 18 July 1982 in Jamshedpur, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), to Ashok and Madhu Chopra, both physicians in the Indian Army. Her father was Punjabi, while her mother is from Jharkhand. She has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years her junior. Actress Parineeti Chopra, Meera Chopra and Barbie Handa are her cousins. Due to her parents' occupations the family relocated to a number of Indian cities, including Delhi, Pune, Lucknow, Bareilly, Ladakh, Chandigarh and Ambala. 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, in the cold northwestern Indian desert region of Jammu and Kashmir. She has 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 right on top of a hill which used to overlook our valley. We used to race up to the top of the stupa"\he now considers Bareilly her home town, and maintains strong connections there
At the age of thirteen, Chopra moved to the United States to study, living with her aunt, and attending schools in Newton, Massachusetts, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 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, choral singing and Kathak dance.Chopra was the only Indian in her class to have been selected at the state level for the National Opus Honour Choir. However, by sophomore year, she was keen on becoming a software engineer or a criminal psychologist, rather than a performer.During her teenage years in America, Chopra sometimes faced racial issues and bullying. 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 yearof her high-school education at the Army Public School in Bareilly. During this period, she won the local "May Queen" beauty pageant, after which she was pursued by admirers, leading her family to equip their home with bars for her protection Her mother then entered her in the Femina Miss India contest of 2000; she finished second,[a] winning the Femina Miss India World title. Chopra then went on to the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned Miss World 2000 and Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty—Asia & Oceania at the Millennium Dome in London on 1 December 2000.Chopra was the fifth Indian contestant to win Miss World, and the fourth to do so in 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 then began receiving offers for film roles
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 in Bareilly, gave up her practice to support Chopra as she embarked upon a film career.
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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 re-cast because Chopra took on various other commitments. Her screen debut occurred in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan as the love interest of the protagonist, played by Vijay. The film was praised for its wit and dialogue, although Chopra's character was seen as lacking in depth; Indian news and entertainment portal Rediff.com asserted that she showed "no promise".
In 2003, Chopra made her Bollywood film debut as the second female lead opposite Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in Anil Sharma'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 agent and his fight against terrorism. The Hero was one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films that year, but received mixed reviews from critics.Later that year she appeared in Raj Kanwar's box-office success Andaaz with Akshay Kumar, again sharing the female lead (this time with the debuting Lara Dutta). Chopra played a vivacious young girl who falls in love with Kumar's character. Her performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut (along with Dutta) and a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. The Hindustan Times noted the glamour that she brought to the roleKunal Shah of Sify praised her and stated she had "all the qualities to be a star."
Chopra's first three releases in 2004—Plan, Kismat, and Asambhav—performed poorly at the box-office.[44] 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 became the third-highest-grossing film of the year in India and emerged as a commercial success earning INR570 million (US$9 million) globally.[46] In late 2004, she starred opposite Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in Abbas-Mustan's 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 moderately successful at the Indian box-office,[47] and Chopra's performance was critically acclaimed.Author Rini Bhattacharya credited her for bringing back the seductress to the silver screen. The Hindustan Times cited it as the film that changed her career significantly. A reviewer writing for the BBC said, "Aitraaz is Priyanka 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 earned a Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role (also known as the Best Villain Award),becoming the second and final actress to win the award after Kajol (the category was discontinued in 2008). Chopra also received another nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her performance.
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In 2005, Chopra appeared in six films. Three of them—Blackmail, Karam and Yakeen—were commercially unsuccessful] Shilpa Bharatan-Iyer of Rediff.com 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 viewpoint.On her performance in Yakeen, 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". 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) 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 a moderate box-office success. Her next release was Suneel Darshan's romance Barsaat, co-starring Bobby Deol and Bipasha Basu. The film was a critical and commercial failure in India[51] but fared better in the overseas market. Chopra's performance received mixed reviews, with Taran Adarsh 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 cast her with Abhishek Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh and Nana Patekar in the comedy Bluffmaster! Chopra played independent working woman Simran Saxena (Bachchan's love interest). According to critic Subhash K. Jha, "Chopra has little to do. But she does it with eye-catching aplomb."
Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan in 2006
Chopra with co-star Shah Rukh Khan at the film premiere of Don
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, 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 INR1.17 billion (US$19 million) worldwide attaining a blockbuster status Her next film was Dharmesh Darshan'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. Chopra portrayed Roma (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 INR1.05 billion (US$17 million). Raja Sen of Rediff.com believed that Chopra convincingly portrayed Roma, "looking every bit the competent woman of action"
In 2007, Chopra had two leading roles. Her first film was Nikhil Advani's Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love, a romantic comedy in six chapters with an ensemble cast. She was featured opposite Salman Khan in the first chapter as Kamini, an item girl and aspiring actress who tries to land the lead role in a Karan Johar film with a publicity gimmick.[64] 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, proved unsuccessful at the domestic box-office.
In 2008, Chopra starred opposite Harman Baweja in his father's Love Story 2050. Chopra played a double role, so she coloured her hair twice; once red to portray the girl from the future and then black for the girl of the past.[66] 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, portraying a TV anchor opposite Salman Khan, Sohail Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. The film was generally perceived to be plagiarised from the Hollywood comedy Bruce Almighty, although writer and director Rumi Jaffrey claimed it to be "a village folk tale about a Brahmin".[Chopra next starred as a kindergarten teacher in Chamku opposite Bobby Deol and Irrfan Khan, and played the role of Sonia in Goldie Behl's fantasy superhero film Drona opposite Abhishek Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. Drona, widely criticised 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.
Chopra's final release of the year saw her reprising her role as Roma in the second part of the Don film series, Don 2. Although the film received mixed reviews,[97] 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 realisation that she may be the first proper female action hero in Bollywood." Don 2 was a major success in India and overseas, earning over INR2.06 billion (US$33 million) worldwide.] Don 2 was showcased at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival and (with Don) at the 2012 International Film Festival of Marrakech, in Morocco.
In a 2012 interview with The Times of India, Chopra professed to have always "wanted to be the sum of more than just my movies" and said that she aspires to acquire a persona like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She remarked that "I imbibe from people I work with and I want to be like them", and cited Mumtaz, Marilyn Monroe, and Audrey Hepburn as fashion inspirations. Chopra's first film of 2012 was Karan Malhotra'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.[104] She featured briefly as Kaali Gawde, Roshan's loquacious love interest in the film. Mayank Shekhar noted how much Chopra stood out in her extended cameo in the male-dominated film.Agneepath broke Bollywood's highest opening-day earnings record, and had a worldwide gross of INR1.93 billion (US$31 million).[99][106] Chopra next co-starred with Shahid Kapoor in Kunal Kohli's romance, Teri Meri Kahaani. The film relates the stories of three unconnected couples (each played by Kapoor and Chopra), born in different eras. The film opened to mixed reactions from critics, but Chopra's performance was generally well received
Priyanka Chopra in 2012
Chopra at a promotional event for Barfi! in 2012
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). Rituparno Ghosh, an acclaimed director, considered it a "very, very brave" role to accept given how demanding it is for an actor to convincingly portray a woman with autism.[108] To prepare for the role, Chopra visited several mental institutions and spent time with autistic people.[109] The film received rave reviews from film critics[108][110] and was a major commercial success, earning INR1.75 billion (US$28 million) worldwide.Chopra received unanimous praise for her portrayal, which several reviewers regarded as her best performance to date. The Indo-Asian News Service review said, "Priyanka Chopra as the autistic Jhilmil steals the show from Ranbir, if that's possible. Her inherent glamorous personality simply disappears into her character. We don't see the actress on screen at all! We see only Jhilmil who reminds us in a very pleasant way of Sridevi in Sadma. This is one of the most flawless interpretations of a physical-psychological disability seen on celluloid."Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph noted Ranbir and Priyanka turn in two of the finest performances seen on the Indian screen.[114] Chopra received another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[94] The film was screened at the Busan[ and Marrakech International Film Festivals,[102] and was chosen as India's entry for the 85th Academy Awards.[116] Don 2, Agneepath and Barfi! rank among the highest grossing Bollywood films of all time.
Chopra's first release of 2013 was K. C. Bokadia's much-delayed Deewana Main Deewana, which had been filmed nearly a decade earlier. It received lacklustre reviews, primarily due to its aged look and feel.[117] She agreed to a special appearance in Shootout at Wadala in a song called "Babli Badmaash Hai", which was her first item number.[118] Music composer Anu Malik and director Sanjay Gupta thought Chopra would be able to "recreate the magic of Zeenat Aman or Parveen Babi"; Chopra, however, was reluctant to do so, agreeing only after six months of persuasion In choosing her first item song, Chopra was strict over the lyrics and footage, in that she frowned against the use of vulgar words or skin on show, and rejected the songs of various composers before deciding upon an appropriate number.She next lent her voice to the character of Ishani, the reigning Pan-Asian champion from India and the love interest of the main protagonist in the Disney Animation Studios's film Planes, a spinoff of the 2006 film Cars and its 2011 sequel Cars 2. Chopra (who described her character as good hearted) kept the accent very real and Indian to avoid an exaggerated Indian accent. The film performed well at the box-office, grossing approximately US$220 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. The film earned positive reviews though critics opined that Chopra's role in the film was small. Writing for Daily News and Analysis, Sarita A Tanwar commented that "Priyanka is saddled with a role that doesn't do her justice. She deserved a meatier role." Komal Nahta however noted that though Chopra gets limited scope, "she acts with a lot of sincerity and does a truly fine job."] The feature became a major box office phenom
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