Priyanka Chopra says she was in a position to pick and choose films only after the release of Krrish: ‘I had done work which gave me a solid foundation’ | Bollywood News
3 min readActor Priyanka Chopra became Miss World in 2000 and soon after entered movies with the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan. Although she made a successful entry into movies and eventually Bollywood, the actor revealed that it was only after the release of the 2006 film Krrish that she got into the position of picking and choosing projects.
In a conversation with actor Bhumi Pednekar during a masterclass at the 2023 Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, Priyanka opened up about how critical acclaim secured her position as an actor.
When Bhumi asked Priyanka about the time she got into a position to pick and choose cinema, the Barfi actor replied, “Many, many films later. I think around the first Krrish maybe, somewhere there. Before that, there was always, ‘Oh my God, what’s the next one I am going to do? What opportunity is going to come to me?’ I picked from what came to me.”
Priyanka, who is now pursuing a career in Hollywood, added, “After the first Krrish, because I had just done Aitraaz as well, I had done work which gave me a solid foundation. I got critical acclaim. I had people telling me that I knew my job even though I didn’t know that I knew my job. But that was a very clear time when I started seeking work that would challenge me.”
However, Priyanka Chopra’s moment of glory arrived when she starred in the Madhur Bhandarkar directorial Fashion, for which she also won a National Award. At the time, many warned Priyanka against playing the lead in a female-oriented movie.
“Fashion was a time when I took that decision. It was right around Krrish that Madhur sir and I met. At that time, I was told that ‘ladkiya female oriented roles apne career ke end mein karti hai National award ke liye. Tumhari to abhi abhi shuru hui hai. You have just done Krrish and Aitraaz, you are having such a moment. Why are you doing it (Fashion)? (Girls do female-oriented roles towards the end of their careers to get a National award. You have just started. Why are you doing it?) Uss zamane mein hota bhi nahi tha itna. (In that era, this was not common). This is early 2005 or 2006. But I just didn’t know any better,” she said.
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From right to left: Priyanka Chopra, Madhur Bhandarkar, Mugdha Godse and Kangana Ranaut during the shooting of Fashion. (Photo: Express Archives)
Priyanka Chopra won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Fashion. During the masterclass, Priyanka said that maybe Madhur Bhandarkar knew what the film would do.
“I loved the script. I loved what Madhur was talking about. Hum log six mahine baithe with writers (We sat with the writers for six months). It was just a passion project. I didn’t know it would become what it did, but I think Madhur sir knew,” said the actor.
Priyanka Chopra will next be seen in the Hollywood film Heads of State with Idris Elba and John Cena.
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