Priyanka 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 was the 50th anniversary of the Miss World pageant, held at the Millennium Dome in London, United Kingdom on 30 November 2000. Portions of the pageant were also filmed in the Maldives. At the end of the event, Yukta Mookhey of ...
pageant, Chopra is India's highest-paid actress and has received numerous accolades, including two
National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
and five
Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...
. In 2016, the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
honoured her with the
Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
, and ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' named her one of the
100 most influential people in the world ''Time'' 100 is a list of the top 100 most influential people, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, politicians, and journalists, the list is now a highly ...
. In the next two years, ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' 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: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
film ''
Thamizhan ''Thamizhan'' is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by debutant Majith and produced by G. Venkateswaran. The film stars Vijay and debutant Priyanka Chopra. This is Chopra's debut, first and only Tamil film up to date. ...
'' (2002), followed by her first
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
feature in '' The Hero: Love Story of a Spy'' (2003). She played the leading lady in the box-office hits ''
Andaaz ''Andaaz'' () is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Raj Kanwar and produced by Suneel Darshan. It stars Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra. It is written by Robin Bhatt, Shyam Goel and Jainendra Jain. I ...
'' (2003) and ''
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' () is a 2004 Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra with Amrish Puri, Kader Khan, Satish Shah and ...
'' (2004) and had her
breakout role A breakthrough role, also known as a breakout role, is a term in the theatre, film and television industry to describe the performance of an actor or actress which contributed significantly to the development of their career and beginning of crit ...
in the 2004 romantic thriller ''
Aitraaz ''Aitraaz'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller film directed by Abbas–Mustan and produced by Subhash Ghai. It stars Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor. ''Aitraaz'' tells the story of a man accused of sexu ...
''. Chopra established herself with starring roles in the top-grossing productions ''
Krrish ''Krrish'' () is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language superhero action thriller film directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. The film stars Hrithik Roshan in a dual role, alongside Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha, Sharat Saxena and Man ...
'' and ''
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Gu ...
'' (both 2006), and later reprised her role in their sequels. For playing a troubled model in the drama ''
Fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
'' (2008), Chopra won a
National Film Award The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
and a
Filmfare Award for Best Actress The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female performer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in ...
. Chopra gained further praise for portraying a range of characters in the films ''
Kaminey ''Kaminey'' () 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 in a dual role, alongside Priyanka Chopra and Amole Gupte in ...
'' (2009), ''
7 Khoon Maaf ''7 Khoon Maaf'' (; read as "''Saat Khoon Maaf''"), released internationally as ''Seven Sins Forgiven'', is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language black comedy film directed, co-written and co-produced by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film stars Priyanka Chopra ...
'' (2011), ''
Barfi! ''Barfi!'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language period romantic comedy film written and directed by Anurag Basu, edited by Akiv Ali and backed by UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz (in her Hi ...
'' (2012), ''
Mary Kom Mangte Chungneijang "Mary" Kom (born 24 November 1982) is an Indian Amateur boxing, Olympic boxer, politician, and former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Member of Rajya Sabha. She is the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Champions ...
'' (2014), ''
Dil Dhadakne Do ''Dil Dhadakne Do'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language family film, family comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the Excel Entertainment banner. The film has an ensemble cast of Anil Kap ...
'' (2015), and ''
Bajirao Mastani ''Bajirao Mastani'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language Epic film, epic historical film, historical tragedy film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who co-produced it with Eros International and composed its Bajirao Mastani (soundtrack), soundtrack ...
'' (2015). From 2015 to 2018, Chopra starred as
Alex Parrish Alexandra Parrish is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television drama thriller series '' Quantico'' on ABC. The character was created by Joshua Safran and is portrayed by Indian actress Priyanka Chopra. Her casting has ...
in the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
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
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
films ''
Ventilator A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathi ...
'' (2016) and ''
Paani During his career, Indian director Shekhar Kapur has worked on a number of projects that never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects were canceled, some were turned over to other production teams, a ...
'' (2019), and the self-starring Hindi biopic ''
The Sky Is Pink ''The Sky Is Pink'' is a 2019 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 Roy Kapur Films, ...
'' (2019). Chopra has also appeared in Hollywood films, such as ''Baywatch'' (2017), ''
Isn't It Romantic Isn't It Romantic may refer to: *"Isn't It Romantic?", a 1932 song by Rodgers and Hart *Isn't It Romantic? (1948 film), ''Isn't It Romantic?'' (1948 film), a musical starring Veronica Lake and Billy De Wolfe *Isn't It Romantic (2019 film), ''Isn't ...
'' (2019), '' The White Tiger'' (2021), and ''
The Matrix Resurrections ''The Matrix Resurrections'' is a 2021 American science fiction action film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski, and the first in the ''Matrix'' franchise to be directed solely by Lana. It is the sequel to '' The Matrix Re ...
'' (2021), and starred in the action thriller series ''
Citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...
'' (2023–present). Chopra ventured into music by releasing three singles and into writing with her memoir '' Unfinished'' (2021), which reached ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Her 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 UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
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 activists, advocates who are designated by the United Nations. The UNICEF, ...
for child rights in 2010 and 2016, respectively. Her namesake foundation for health and education works towards providing support to underprivileged Indian children. Chopra has walked the
Met Gala The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit, is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala was and still is popularly rega ...
red carpet in
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
five times as of 2025. Despite maintaining privacy, Chopra's off-screen life, including her marriage to American singer and actor
Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
, is the subject of substantial media coverage.


Early life

Chopra was born on 18 July 1982 in
Jamshedpur Jamshedpur (; ), also known as Tatanagar, is a major industrial city in eastern India. It is the List of cities in Jharkhand by population, largest city in the state of Jharkhand. With a population of 629,658 in the city limits and 1.3 million ...
,
Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...
(present-day
Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...
), to Ashok and Madhu Chopra, both physicians in the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
. Her father was a
Punjabi Hindu Punjabi Hindus are adherents of Hinduism who identify ethnically, linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis and are natives of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Punjabi Hindus are the third-largest religious g ...
from
Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...
. Her mother is a Bihari-Magahi Hindu from Jharkhand and is the eldest daughter of Dr. Manohar Kishan Akhouri, a former
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
veteran, and Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri, a former member of
Bihar Legislative Assembly The Bihar Legislative Assembly, also known as the Bihar Vidhan Sabha, is the lower house of the bicameral Bihar Legislature of the state of Bihar in India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is ...
. Chopra's maternal grandmother, Mrs. Akhouri, was a
Malayalee The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...
Jacobite Syrian Christian originally named Mary John, who belonged to the
Kavalappara Nair The Kavalappara is an princely Indian Nair tharavad or swaroopam, whose estates and powers vested in the matrilineally-mediated succession to and from each Kavalappara Nair, who headed the family and held the rank of Moopil Nair. In medieval Ker ...
family in
Kumarakom Kumarakom is a tourism destination near the city of Kottayam in Kerala, India. It is near the Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in the state of Kerala. In January 2023 ''The New York Times'' mentioned Kumarakom's backwater tourism. Climate Kum ...
,
Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. Chopra has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years her junior. Film actresses
Parineeti Chopra Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1987) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Parineeti Chopra, several accolades, including a Filmfare Awar ...
,
Meera Chopra Meera Chopra is an Indian actress and model who appears in Tamil language, Tamil, Telugu language, Telugu, and Hindi-language films. In Tamil films, she is credited as Nila. She went to SGTB Khalsa College, Delhi University, but later dropped ou ...
and
Mannara Chopra Mannara Chopra (born Barbie Handa; born 29 March 1991) is an Indian actress and model who primarily works in Telugu language, Telugu and Hindi language, Hindi films and television. Chopra made her film debut with the romance ''Prema Geema Janth ...
are her cousins and
Neelam Upadhyaya Neelam Upadhyaya is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil and Telugu films. Personal life Neelam born on 5 October 1993 in Mumbai. Career Neelam Upadhyaya got the opportunity to act in ''Seivathu Sariye'' in 2010 but the film was late ...
is her sister-in-law. Owing to Chopra's parents' professions as military physicians, the family was posted in a number of places in India, including
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...
,
Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...
,
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
,
Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
,
Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...
, and
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
. 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 The ''Daily News and Analysis'', abbreviated as ''DNA'', is a Hindi-language news program on Zee news that was earlier an English-language newspaper with multiple local city editions across India. ''DNA'' was first launched as a broadsheet newsp ...
'', 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 () is a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir#Kashmir_dispute, disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the WP:TE ...
, in the cold northwestern Indian desert region of
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...
. 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 In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
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 Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...
her home town, and maintains strong connections there. At 13, Chopra moved to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
to study, living with her aunt, and attending schools in
Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...
, and
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...
, after a stop in
Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
, 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 by an
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
classmate. 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, also known as Femina Miss India, is a national beauty pageant in India that selects representatives to compete in the Miss World competition, one of the Big Four international beauty pageants. It is organized by ''Femina (India), F ...
contest of 2000; she finished second, winning the Femina
Miss India World Miss India, also known as Femina Miss India, is a national beauty pageant in India that selects representatives to compete in the Miss World competition, one of the Big Four international beauty pageants. It is organized by '' Femina'', a wome ...
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, Mi ...
pageant, where she was crowned
Miss World 2000 Miss World 2000 was the 50th anniversary of the Miss World pageant, held at the Millennium Dome in London, United Kingdom on 30 November 2000. Portions of the pageant were also filmed in the Maldives. At the end of the event, Yukta Mookhey of ...
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 millen ...
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. In 2001, the bridge of Chopra's nose collapsed during
nasal surgery Nasal surgery is a medical procedure designed to treat various conditions that cause nasal blockages in the Respiratory tract, upper respiratory tract, for example Nasal polyp, nasal polyps, inferior turbinate hypertrophy, and Sinusitis, chronic r ...
to remove a polyp. She fell into depression over her "completely different" appearance, but was satisfied with the results of corrective surgeries.


Acting career


Career beginnings and breakthrough (2002–2004)

After winning Miss India World, Chopra was cast as the female lead in
Abbas–Mustan Abbas–Mustan are an Indian filmmaker duo consisting of brothers Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla and Mustan Alibhai Burmawalla, working in Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily pr ...
's romantic thriller ''
Humraaz ''Humraaz'' (transl. ''Confidant'') is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by the duo Abbas–Mustan. The film stars Bobby Deol, Akshaye Khanna, and Ameesha Patel⁣⁣ and marks the third collaboration between Deol and the ...
'' (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 film ''
Thamizhan ''Thamizhan'' is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by debutant Majith and produced by G. Venkateswaran. The film stars Vijay and debutant Priyanka Chopra. This is Chopra's debut, first and only Tamil film up to date. ...
'' 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 was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' 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 Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
film debut as the second female lead opposite
Sunny Deol Ajay Singh Deol (born 19 October 1957), better known as Sunny Deol, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, and politician. One of the highest grossing actors of Indian cinema, he has worked in Sunny Deol filmography, more than 100 Hindi ...
and
Preity Zinta Preity G. Zinta (pronounced ; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English honours and criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in '' Dil Se..'' in 19 ...
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 RAW agent's fight against terrorism. She later recounted her experience, admitting she was very nervous and "shaking" when she first met Deol. Despite rumors that she was not a good actress and discussions about possibly removing her from the film, Deol recognized her potential and insisted on giving her a chance to prove herself. ''The Hero'' emerged as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films that year, but received mixed reviews from critics.
Derek Elley Derek Elley (born ) 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'', he spe ...
from ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said that "mega-looker Chopra makes a solid screen debut." Later that year, she appeared in
Raj Kanwar Raj Kanwar (28 June 1961 – 3 February 2012) was an Indian film director, writer, and producer of Hindi films based in Mumbai, India. Family and personal life He was educated at Col. Brown Cambridge School in Dehradun. He has two sons (with h ...
's box-office success ''
Andaaz ''Andaaz'' () is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Raj Kanwar and produced by Suneel Darshan. It stars Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra. It is written by Robin Bhatt, Shyam Goel and Jainendra Jain. I ...
'' with
Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...
, sharing the female lead with debutante
Lara Dutta Lara Dutta Bhupathi ( Dutta; born 16 April 1978) is an Indian actress. She won the Miss Universe 2000, and has since predominantly worked in Hindi films and series. Dutta is a recipient of a Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Award and established hers ...
. Chopra played a vivacious young woman who falls in love with Kumar's character. The ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' noted the glamour that she brought to the role; Kunal Shah of
Sify Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology (ICT) company providing telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation integration services, and ...
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 The Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut (previously known as Filmfare Award for Lux New Face of the Year) is given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films to recognise a performance by a female actor in their deb ...
(along with Dutta) and a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Chopra's first three releases in 2004—''
Plan A plan is typically any diagram or list of steps with details of timing and resources, used to achieve an Goal, objective to do something. It is commonly understood as a modal logic, temporal set (mathematics), set of intended actions through wh ...
'', '' Kismat'', and ''
Asambhav ''Asambhav'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Rajiv Rai and produced by Gulshan Rai under the Trimurti Films banner. It was released on 23 July 2004, starring Arjun Rampal, Naseeruddin Shah and Priyanka Ch ...
''—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 Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; born 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awa ...
and Akshay Kumar in
David Dhawan David Dhawan (born Rajinder Dhawan; 16 August 1951) is an Indian director of Bollywood, Hindi films. A member of the List of Hindi film clans#Dhawan family, Dhawan family, he has directed over #Filmography, 42 films. The 1993 action thriller an ...
's romantic comedy ''
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' () is a 2004 Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by David Dhawan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra with Amrish Puri, Kader Khan, Satish Shah and ...
'', 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 Kareena Kapoor Khan (; ; born 21 September 1980) is an Indian actress. A prolific leading lady of Hindi cinema since 2000, she is noted for her roles in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas. Kapoor is the recipient ...
in Abbas–Mustan's romantic thriller ''
Aitraaz ''Aitraaz'' () is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller film directed by Abbas–Mustan and produced by Subhash Ghai. It stars Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor. ''Aitraaz'' tells the story of a man accused of sexu ...
''. 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 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
'' 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 The Filmfare Best Villain Award was given by ''Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise an actor who had delivered an outstanding performance in a negative role. Although the awards started in 1954, this ca ...
, 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, such as six ...
(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 a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...
'' 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 website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
'' 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 Vipul Amrutlal Shah (commonly known as Vipul Shah) is a film producer and director of Hindi films. He began his career with Gujarati theatre. He was part/director of a number of Gujarati dramas, some of which were well received by audience. He ...
's family drama '' Waqt: The Race Against Time'', the story of a small businessman (played by
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...
) 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 Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor and model who mainly works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on to Arjun Rampal filmography, act in ...
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 Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media, as well as his reviews for Bollywood Hungama. Career Taran Adarsh started his journ ...
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. He was born into Bhatt family. Biography Darshan began his career in 1987 as a film producer. He produced the film ''Inteqam'', wh ...
's romance '' Barsaat'', co-starring
Bobby Deol Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1969), better known by his screen name Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. A member of the List of Hindi film families#Deol family, Deol family, he is the younger son of actor Dha ...
and
Bipasha Basu Bipasha Basu (born 7 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, she List of awards and nominations received by Bipasha Basu, has received a Filmfare Awards, Filmfare Award. In the 2000s and 2010s, she was ...
. 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 Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...
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 (film), Dum Maaro Dum'' (2011) and ''Nautanki Saala'' (2013). Early life He is the ...
cast her alongside
Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan (; born 5 February 1976) is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Hindi films. Part of the Bachchan family, he is the son of actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. From 2012 to 2016, Bachchan appeared in ...
,
Ritesh Deshmukh Riteish Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and television presenter who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Marathi cinema, Marathi films. Known for his comic portrayals, Deshmukh is a recipient of several ...
and
Nana Patekar Vishwanath Patekar (born 1 January 1951), better known as Nana Patekar, is an Indian actor, film maker, mainly working in Hindi language, Hindi and Marathi language, Marathi cinema. Widely regarded as one of the finest and most influential actors ...
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 ...
''. 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 Rakesh Roshan (born 6 September 1949) is an Indian film producer, director, screenwriter and actor who works in Bollywood, Hindi films. He appeared in 84 films in the 1970s and 1980s. As an actor, he is mostly known for his supporting roles in ...
's superhero film ''
Krrish ''Krrish'' () is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language superhero action thriller film directed and produced by Rakesh Roshan. The film stars Hrithik Roshan in a dual role, alongside Priyanka Chopra, Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha, Sharat Saxena and Man ...
'' (a sequel to the 2003 science-fiction film '' Koi... Mil Gaya''). Co-starring with
Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including si ...
,
Rekha Bhanurekha Ganesan (; born 10 October 1954), better known by her mononymous stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in mo ...
and
Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...
, 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 status. Her next film was
Dharmesh Darshan Dharmesh Darshan is an Indian filmmaker, film director and writer who works in Bollywood. He was born into Bhatt family. He began his illustrious career as one of the youngest filmmakers of Indian Cinema, in the league of Sooraj Barjatya, Adit ...
's romantic comedy '' Aap Ki Khatir'', co-starring
Akshaye Khanna Akshaye Khanna (born 28 March 1975) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Khanna is known for his versatility, which has secured him numerous accolades including two Filmfare Awards. Born to actor Vinod Khanna, he made his acting deb ...
,
Ameesha Patel Ameesha Patel (; born 9 June 1975) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi and Telugu films. Patel is the recipient of several awards such as a Filmfare Award and a Zee Cine Award. Patel made her acting debut in 2000 with the romantic ...
and
Dino Morea Dino Morea (; born 9 December 1975) is an Indian actor and former model who has appeared in Hindi, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu language, Telugu films. He began his career as a fashion model and made his film debut in ' ...
. 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 Farhan Akhtar (born 9 January 1974) is an Indian actor, filmmaker and singer who works in Hindi films. Born to screenwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, he established the production company Excel Entertainment, along with Ritesh Sidhwa ...
's action-thriller ''
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Gu ...
'' (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 and film producer who works in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as the "Padishah, Baadshah of Bollywood" and "King Khan", he has Shah Rukh K ...
. Chopra portrayed
Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...
(played by
Zeenat Aman Zeenat Amanullah Khan (born 19 November 1951), known professionally as Zeenat Aman, is an Indian actress and model who mainly works in Hindi films. One of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema, she established herself as one of the highest paid ...
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 Nikkhil Suresh Advani (born 28 April 1971) is an Indian director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema. He along with his sister, Monisha Advani and Madhu Bhojwani, co-founded the entertainment company Emmay Entertainment. Early ...
'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 comprises many 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 the po ...
. She was featured opposite Salman Khan in the first chapter as Kamini, an
item girl In Indian cinema, an item number or special 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 ( Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu ci ...
and aspiring actress who tries to land the lead role in a
Karan Johar Karan Yash Johar (born Rahul Kumar Johar; 25 May 1972), often informally referred to as KJo, is an Indian filmmaker, producer and television personality who primarily works in Hindi cinema. He has launched the careers of several successful ac ...
film with a publicity gimmick. Film critic Sukanya Verma praised her flair for comedy, especially her impressions of
Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Known as "The Tragedy Queen", she is regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinem ...
,
Nargis Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid, also known as Nirmala Dutt; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the ...
and
Madhubala Madhubala (born Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi; 14 February 1933 – 23 February 1969) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. She is considered as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. One of the country ...
. Both ''Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love'' and her next film, ''
Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * a brother senior in birth order Literature * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' * ''Big Brother'' (magazine), a skateboarding culture magazine * ' ...
'', proved unsuccessful at the domestic box office. In 2008, Chopra starred opposite
Harman Baweja Harman Baweja (born 13 November 1980) is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. The son of film director Harry Baweja and producer Pammi Baweja, he has starred in the Hindi cinema, Hindi films ''Love Story 2050'' (2008), ''What's Your Raa ...
in his father's ''
Love Story 2050 ''Love Story 2050'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language science fiction-romance film starring producer Pammi Baweja and director Harry Baweja's son Harman Baweja, and Priyanka Chopra. It is Bollywood's first utopian time travel film. The premiere ...
''. 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 Rajeev Masand (born 13 March 1976) is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films rel ...
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. It stars Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Sohail Khan. According to director Rohit Dhawan, the film is a remake of the 2003 ...
'', portraying a TV anchor opposite Salman Khan,
Sohail Khan Sohail Salim Abdul Rashid Khan (born 20 December 1969) is an Indian actor and producer who works mainly in Hindi cinema. He is the younger brother of actors Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan. He has an elder sister, Alvira Khan Agnihotri. He produ ...
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 ro ...
'' opposite
Bobby Deol Vijay Singh Deol (born 27 January 1969), better known by his screen name Bobby Deol, is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. A member of the List of Hindi film families#Deol family, Deol family, he is the younger son of actor Dha ...
and
Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020) was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in world cinema, Khan's career spa ...
, and played the role of Sonia in
Goldie Behl Goldie Behl (born 24 January 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and entrepreneur belonging to the Behl family of Hindi films. He is married to Sonali Bendre. Career As student of Mayo College, Behl trained within the Mumbai Film Industry, born on ...
's fantasy superhero film ''
Drona Droṇa (, ), also referred to as Dronacharya (, ), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He is one of the primary counsellors and warriors featured ...
'' opposite Abhishek Bachchan and
Jaya Bachchan Jaya Bachchan (''née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician. She is regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Hindi cinema. She is serving as member of the parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party ...
. ''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 Madhur Bhandarkar (born 26 August 1968) is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. In 2016, Bhandarkar was honoured with the Padma Shri, the Indian honours system, fourth highest civilian honour, by the Government of India. He i ...
's ''
Fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
'', 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 National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry. ...
, the
Filmfare Award for Best Actress The Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by '' Filmfare'' as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise the female performer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in ...
, the
IIFA Award for Best Actress IIFA may refer to: *Independent Indoor Football Alliance, American indoor football league based in the state of Texas *International Indian Film Academy, organization for professionals in the Hindi language film industry *International Islamic Fiqh ...
, the
Screen Award for Best Actress The Screen Award for Best Actress is one of the Screen Awards of merit presented annually by a distinguished panel of judges from the Indian "Bollywood" film industry, to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a le ...
, 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 an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi cinema, Hindi films. He is best known for directing the 2008 romantic comedy film Dostana (2008 film), ''Dostana''. Filmography As director As assistant dir ...
's romantic comedy '' Dostana'', with Abhishek Bachchan and
John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Known for his stoic action hero persona, he is a recipient of a National Film Award along with nominations for four Filmfare Awards. Abraham ha ...
. 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 Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Yash Johar in 1979. It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son, Karan Johar. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes H ...
, 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. Multiple wins Awards Here is a list of the awar ...
.


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 people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
woman named Sweety in
Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian filmmaker, music composer, and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of nine National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. Bhardwaj made his debut as a mu ...
's
caper ''Capparis spinosa'', the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The taxonomic status of the species is controversial and unsettled. Species with ...
thriller ''
Kaminey ''Kaminey'' () 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 in a dual role, alongside Priyanka Chopra and Amole Gupte in ...
'' (co-starring
Shahid Kapoor Shahid Kapoor (; born 25 February 1981) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. Initially recognised for portraying romantic roles, he has since taken on parts in action films and thrillers, and is the recipient of List of awards and n ...
), 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 Nikhat Kazmi (1958/59 – 20 January 2012) was a senior correspondent and well-known film critic from, born Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been writing for ''The Times of India'' since 1987. She died of breast cancer Breast cancer is a c ...
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 fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of India's most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, ...
,
Screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing or ''silkscreening'', a printing method * Big screen, a nickname for motion pictures * Split screen (filmmaking), showing two or more images side by side * Stochastic screening and Halftone ...
and IIFA awards. Chopra subsequently appeared in
Ashutosh Gowariker Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Indian cinema, Indian Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment ...
'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 and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Sunita A. Gowariker. Based on the Gujarati novel ''Kimball Ravenswood'' by the pl ...
'', 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 in search of his soulmate among 12 girls (all played by Chopra) associated with the 12
zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...
signs. She received a nomination for the
Screen Award for Best Actress The Screen Award for Best Actress is one of the Screen Awards of merit presented annually by a distinguished panel of judges from the Indian "Bollywood" film industry, to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a le ...
for her performance in the film. She was considered for inclusion in the ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
'' 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 Uday Raj Chopra (born 5 January 1973) is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of filmmaker Yash Chopra. He made his acting debut in the 2000 film ''Mohabbatein'' and featured in several other films including ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' ...
in
Jugal Hansraj Jugal Hansraj (born 26 July 1972) is an Indian actor, author and filmmaker. He started his career as a child actor in Shekhar Kapur's '' Masoom'' (1983). He continued his career as a child actor in films like ''Karma'' (1986) and '' Sultanat'' ...
's romantic comedy ''
Pyaar Impossible! ''Pyaar Impossible!'' (transl. ''Love Impossible!'') is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written by Uday Chopra and directed by Jugal Hansraj. Produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films, the film stars Uday C ...
'' 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 Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the re ...
in
Siddharth Anand Siddharth Raj Anand is an Indian filmmaker. He is the grandson of screenwriter Inder Raj Anand and is primarily known for his work in Hindi films. He received recognition for directing the successful romantic comedies '' Salaam Namaste'' (2005 ...
'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 Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra 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 ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...
in her first film of 2011, Vishal Bhardwaj's black comedy ''
7 Khoon Maaf ''7 Khoon Maaf'' (; read as "''Saat Khoon Maaf''"), released internationally as ''Seven Sins Forgiven'', is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language black comedy film directed, co-written and co-produced by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film stars Priyanka Chopra ...
''. Based on the short story ''Susanna's Seven Husbands'' by
Ruskin Bond Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Indian author. His first novel, ''The Room on the Roof'', published in 1956, received the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Bond has authored more than 500 short stories, essays, and novels which includes 69 books ...
, ''7 Khoon Maaf'' centers on Chopra's Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes, an
Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...
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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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 Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name * Don, Benin, a town in Benin * Don, Dang, a village and hill station in Dang district, Gu ...
'' franchise, ''
Don 2 ''Don 2: The King Is Back'' 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 Entertainment and Red ...
''. Although the film received mixed reviews, Chopra's performance earned positive feedback from critics. According to ''
The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Lakson Group'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the '' Intern ...
'', "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 Ravi Malhotra is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi films. He is best known for directing '' Agneepath'' (2012). Career Karan Malhotra worked as an assistant director for films such as ''Main Hoon Na'' (2004), ...
's action drama '' Agneepath'', in which she starred with Hrithik Roshan,
Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi films. Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 160 films. ...
and
Rishi Kapoor Rishi Kapoor (4 September 1952 – 30 April 2020) was an Indian actor, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. In a career spanning 50 years, he is regarded as one of the most successful and accomplished actors in Hindi cinema. ...
. Produced by Karan Johar, the film is a remake of his father's 1990 production of the
same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...
. In one of several accidents to happen during production, Chopra's ''
lehenga The ''lehenga'', ''lehanga'' ''or लेहंगा'' (also known as a ghagra, chaniyo, Paro, ''paavada'', or ''lacha'') is a form of ankle-length skirt from the Indian subcontinent. Different patterns and styles of traditional embroidery are ...
'' (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 F ...
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, writer and actor in Bollywood. He is best known for directing the romantic comedy '' Hum Tum'' (2004), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Director, and the romantic thriller '' Fanaa'' (2 ...
'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 Anurag Basu (born 8 May 1970) is an Indian director, screenwriter, actor and producer in Hindi cinema. He is best known for films that tackle bold themes of passion, envy, and adultery. After initial setbacks, he achieved his breakthrough with ...
's ''
Barfi! ''Barfi!'' is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language period romantic comedy film written and directed by Anurag Basu, edited by Akiv Ali and backed by UTV Motion Pictures. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz (in her Hi ...
'', with Ranbir Kapoor and
Ileana D'Cruz Ileana D'Cruz (born 1 November 1986) is a Portuguese actress who primarily appears in Telugu and Hindi films. She is the recipient of several accolades including a Filmfare Award and a Filmfare Awards South. D'Cruz made her screen debut in 2 ...
, 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 Rituparno Ghosh (; 31 August 1963 – 30 May 2013) was an Indian film director, actor, writer and lyricist. After pursuing a degree in economics, he started his career as a creative artist at an advertising agency. He received recognition for h ...
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 fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of India's most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, ...
'' 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 ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
'' 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 The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p ...
. ''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 Disneytoon Studios (DTS), originally named Disney MovieToons and also formerly Walt Disney Video Premieres, was an American animation studio which created direct-to-video and occasional theatrical animated feature films. The studio was a division ...
film ''
Planes Plane most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface * Plane (mathematics), generalizations of a geometrical plane Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane ...
'', a spinoff of
Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
's ''Cars'' franchise. Chopra, a fan of
Disney films The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...
, 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 hav ...
, 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 Apoorva Lakhia is an Indian film director. Early life Lakhia was born and brought up in Ahmedabad, India. He was educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar. He dropped out of a filmmaking course in New York University to assist Mira Nair on '' ...
'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 ''Krrish 3'' is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language superhero action thriller film written, produced and directed by Rakesh Roshan, who wrote the screenplay with Honey Irani and Robin Bhatt. It is the third film in the ''Krrish'' series, following ...
''a sequel to the 2006 superhero film ''Krrish''with Hrithik Roshan,
Vivek Oberoi Vivek Anand Oberoi (born 3 September 1976) is an Indian actor and businessman. The son of actor Suresh Oberoi, he began acting in 2002 with starring roles in the Hindi crime film ''Company'' and romantic drama '' Saathiya''. His performances ...
and
Kangana Ranaut Kangna Amardeep Ranaut (; born 23 March 1986) is an Indian actress, filmmaker, and politician serving as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Mandi Lok Sabha constituency, Mandi since June 2024. Known for her portrayals of strong-willed, u ...
. Critics felt that Chopra had very little to do in the film. Saibal Chatterjee of
NDTV New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
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 Mujra is a dance performance that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs (often connected to the Mughal emperor's court) used to frequent tawaifs (courtesans) for entertainment. Background ...
in the song "
Ram Chahe Leela "Ram Chahe Leela" () is a 2013 song from the film '' Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela'' directed and composed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The song was sung by Bhoomi Trivedi and was written by Siddharth-Garima and was picturised on Priyanka Chopra. ...
" for
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali (born 24 February 1963) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, editor and music composer, who works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including seven National Film Awards and twelve Filmf ...
's ''
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela ''Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela'' (), also simply known as ''Ram-Leela'', is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language romantic tragedy film written and directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who also composed its original soundtrack. The film was jointly pr ...
.'' In 2014, Chopra played the lead female role in
Yash Raj Films Yash Raj Films (YRF) is an Indian film production and distribution company founded by filmmaker Yash Chopra in 1970. Since 2012, it has been led by his son Aditya Chopra. The company mainly produces and distributes Hindi films. History In 19 ...
's romantic action drama ''
Gunday ''Gunday'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language period action drama film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Irrfan Khan i ...
'' directed by
Ali Abbas Zafar Ali Abbas Zafar is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing ''Mere Brother Ki Dulhan'' (2011), ''Gunday'' (2014), ''Sultan (2016 film), Sultan'' (2016), ''Tiger Zinda Hai'' (2017) and ''Bharat (film), Bharat' ...
, alongside
Ranveer Singh Ranveer Singh Bhavnani (; born 6 July 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Ranveer Singh, several awards, including five Filmfare Awards. He is among the highest- ...
,
Arjun Kapoor Arjun Kapoor (born 26 June 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Born to the Surinder Kapoor family, he is the son of film producers Boney Kapoor and Mona Shourie. Kapoor made his acting debut in 2012 with the drama '' Ishaqzaade ...
and
Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020) was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in world cinema, Khan's career spa ...
. She portrayed Nandita, a
cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
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 Mangte Chungneijang "Mary" Kom (born 24 November 1982) is an Indian Amateur boxing, Olympic boxer, politician, and former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Member of Rajya Sabha. She is the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Champions ...
'', a biographical film of the five time world boxing champion and Olympic bronze medalist
Mary Kom Mangte Chungneijang "Mary" Kom (born 24 November 1982) is an Indian Amateur boxing, Olympic boxer, politician, and former Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Member of Rajya Sabha. She is the only woman to win the World Amateur Boxing Champions ...
. 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 (director), David Dobkin's film ''The Judge (2014 film), The Judg ...
, 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 film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, pr ...
from ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
'' 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. In December 2023, Adani group, known for its close ties with t ...
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 Screen Award for Best Actress is one of the Screen Awards of merit presented annually by a distinguished panel of judges from the Indian "Bollywood" film industry, to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a le ...
, 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 Zoya Akhtar (born 14 October 1972) is an Indian director, producer and screenwriter who works in Hindi films and series. Born to Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, she completed a diploma in filmmaking from New York University, NYU and assisted dire ...
's ''
Dil Dhadakne Do ''Dil Dhadakne Do'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language family film, family comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the Excel Entertainment banner. The film has an ensemble cast of Anil Kap ...
'', an ensemble comedy-drama, featuring
Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films, in addition to Indian television and international films. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a ...
,
Shefali Shah Shefali Shah ( Shetty; born 22 May 1973) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Working primarily in independent Hindi films, she has received multiple local and foreign accolades for her performances. Shah's acting career star ...
, Ranveer Singh and
Anushka Sharma Anushka Sharma (; born 1 May 1988) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She has won many awards including Filmfare Awards and IIFA Awards. Sharma has appeared in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 in the 2010s and was featured by ''F ...
. 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 ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' 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 Hindi version of the film ''The Jungle Book''. Chopra signed a talent holding deal with
ABC Studios ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio's ...
and was later cast in the American thriller series '' Quantico'' as the character
Alex Parrish Alexandra Parrish is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television drama thriller series '' Quantico'' on ABC. The character was created by Joshua Safran and is portrayed by Indian actress Priyanka Chopra. Her casting has ...
. The series premiered in 2015 on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
, 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, after the unrelated ''Los Angeles Times'', and the flagship newspaper of the Southern California News Group, a branch of Colorado ...
'' applauded her "dynamic screen presence" and
James Poniewozik James Poniewozik (; born July 12, 1968) is an American journalist and television critic. He is the chief TV critic for ''The New York Times''. Earlier in his career, he wrote '' Time's'' ''Tuned In'' column for 16 years. Early life Originally fro ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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 The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the Fan (person), fans and Public, general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined us ...
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 later said that her move to America was prompted by disagreements with people in Bollywood: "I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break.” Chopra next portrayed
Kashibai Kashibai Bhat 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 up ...
, the first wife of the
Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...
general
Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...
Bajirao I Bajirao I (né Visaji, ; 18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed Peshwa at the age of nineteen by Shahu I, following the death of his father, Balaji Vishwanath. He is credited with establis ...
, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's epic historical romantic drama ''
Bajirao Mastani ''Bajirao Mastani'' is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language Epic film, epic historical film, historical tragedy film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who co-produced it with Eros International and composed its Bajirao Mastani (soundtrack), soundtrack ...
'', alongside Ranveer Singh and
Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone (; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi films. She is India's highest-paid actress, as of 2023, and List of awards and nominations received by Deepika Padukone, her accolades include thre ...
. 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 The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Time ...
,
IIFA Award The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) is an annual awards ceremony for Hindi cinema. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for their favourite ac ...
, and
Screen Award The Screen Awards was an annual awards ceremony held in India, honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection was done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced ...
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 Prakash Jha (born 27 February 1952) is an Indian film producer, actor, director and screenwriter, mostly known for his political and socio-political films such as ''Hip Hip Hurray (film), Hip Hip Hurray'' (1984), ''Damul'' (1984), ''Mrityudand ...
's social drama ''
Jai Gangaajal ''Jai Gangaajal'' () is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language 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. The fil ...
''. 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 Seth Lewis Gordon is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and film editor. He has produced and directed for film and television, including for PBS, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United Nations Staff 1% for Developme ...
's action comedy ''
Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American Drama (film and television), drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz ...
'' opposite
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...
and
Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. Efron began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence as a teen idol for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' film ...
. The feature received unfavorable reviews.
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming 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 district and is headed by its former e ...
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 ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' 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 is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
marked the release of Chopra's next American film, ''
A Kid Like Jake ''A Kid Like Jake'' is a 2018 American drama film directed by Silas Howard and written by Daniel Pearle, based on his own 2013 play of the same name. It stars Claire Danes, Jim Parsons (who also co-produced), Priyanka Chopra, Amy Landecker, Ann D ...
'', a drama about
gender variance Gender nonconformity or gender variance is gender expression by an individual whose behavior, mannerisms, and/or appearance does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A person can be gender-nonconforming regardless of their gender identity ...
, starring
Jim Parsons James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. From 2007 to 2019, Parsons played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory''. He has received various awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstandin ...
and
Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. Prolific in film and television since her teens, she is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2012, ''Time (magazine), Time'' named he ...
. 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 ** India, a country ** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent ** Bharatavarsha, another Sanskrit name for the Indian subcon ...
'', 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 Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where 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 Fi ...
's comedy ''
Isn't It Romantic Isn't It Romantic may refer to: *"Isn't It Romantic?", a 1932 song by Rodgers and Hart *Isn't It Romantic? (1948 film), ''Isn't It Romantic?'' (1948 film), a musical starring Veronica Lake and Billy De Wolfe *Isn't It Romantic (2019 film), ''Isn't ...
'', which starred
Rebel Wilson Rebel Melanie Elizabeth Wilson (born Melanie Elizabeth Bownds; 2 March 1980) is an Australian actress, comedian and producer. After graduating from the Australian Theatre for Young People in 2003, Wilson began appearing in the SBS comedy ser ...
. The film was well received by critics and grossed approximately $49 million at the North American box office. Dana Schwartz of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' considered her to be "perfectly cast" but Benjamin Lee of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' thought that she was "not quite interesting enough". She returned to Hindi cinema (as Priyanka Chopra Jonas) later in 2019 with
Shonali Bose Shonali Bose (born 3 June 1965) is an Indian film director, writer and film producer. Having made her feature film debut in 2005, she has since won such accolades as a National Film Award, a Bridgestone Narrative Award, and a Sundance Mahindr ...
's biographical drama ''
The Sky Is Pink ''The Sky Is Pink'' is a 2019 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 Roy Kapur Films, ...
'', 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 Anna Marie Mathew Vetticad is an Indian journalist, film critic, and cultural commentator. She has been in the field of journalism since 1994. Vetticad is known for her political critiques of Indian cinema and the Indian film industry. She is a ...
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.


Streaming projects (2020–present)

In 2020, Chopra Jonas signed a multimillion-dollar first-look TV deal with Amazon Prime Video to back content by first time
BIPOC The term "person of color" (: people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is associated with, the United States. From th ...
and female filmmakers. Her only release that year was the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
children's superhero film '' We Can Be Heroes'' directed by
Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
. She starred as Ms. Granada, the director of a superhero organisation called Heroics. The feature received generally positive reviews;
Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...
from the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' praised the actress for "livening up the proceedings" as the strait-laced Ms. Granada, and
Ian Freer Ian Freer is a British non-fiction author, film magazine editor and newspaper writer who has written several books relating to films. He is currently employed with the film magazine ''Empire'' and is one of their senior reviewers as well as the ...
of the ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' magazine felt that she did the "kids' film acting to the hilt". Her first film of 2021 was
Ramin Bahrani Ramin Bahrani (; born March 20, 1975) is an American Film director, director and screenwriter. Film critic Roger Ebert ranked Bahrani's Chop Shop (film), ''Chop Shop'' (2007) as the sixth-best film of the 2000s, calling him "the new director of ...
's '' The White Tiger'', an adaptation of
Aravind Adiga Aravind Adiga (born 23 October 1974) is an Indian writer and journalist. His debut novel, '' The White Tiger'', won the 2008 Man Booker Prize. Early life and education Aravind Adiga was born in Madras (now Chennai), the capital of Tamil Nadu, o ...
's satirical novel of the same name. She starred alongside
Adarsh Gourav Adarsh Gourav Bhagavatula (born 8 July 1994) is an Indian actor known for his works in Hindi and English-language films and television series. Gourav began acting with the drama film ''My Name Is Khan'' (2010). He gained international recogniti ...
and
Rajkummar Rao Rajkummar Rao (born Raj Kumar Yadav; 31 August 1984) is an Indian actor. A versatile actor in Hindi cinema since the early 2010s, he is known for his performances in over thirty films across a wide spectrum of genres in both independent an ...
, and also executive produced this Netflix production. Critical reviews towards the film and her performance were positive. Writing for ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', 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 international ...
deemed Chopra Jonas' performance "impressive" and ''The Hollywood Reporter''s David Rooney commended her for bringing "emotional depth" to her role. The film received a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the
93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...
. Later that year, Chopra Jonas had a supporting role in the science fiction film ''
The Matrix Resurrections ''The Matrix Resurrections'' is a 2021 American science fiction action film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski, and the first in the ''Matrix'' franchise to be directed solely by Lana. It is the sequel to '' The Matrix Re ...
''. Chopra Jonas next starred alongside
Richard Madden Richard Madden (born 18 June 1986) is a Scottish actor. He was cast in his first role at age 11 and made his screen acting debut in 2000. He later began performing on stage whilst a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In 2007, he t ...
in
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
's action thriller series ''
Citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...
'' (2023). With a production budget of US$300 million, the six-episode first season ranks as one of the most-expensive television shows. It marked the first time in her career when she received equal pay with her male co-star. She performed many of her own stunts, and suffered a permanent scar from an injury on her eyebrow. Critics had mixed opinions on the series, but Jasper Rees of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' was particularly impressed by Chopra Jonas' potential as a female
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
, finding her "flirty and funny and hard as a bag of nine-inch nails". She then led the romantic comedy '' Love Again'', opposite
Sam Heughan Sam Roland Heughan (; born 30 April 1980) is a Scottish actor, producer, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his starring role as Jamie Fraser in the Starz drama series '' Outlander'' (2014–present) for which he has won the People ...
and
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
, which was panned by critics. Chopra Jonas will next star alongside
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
and
Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba Order of the British Empire, OBE ( ; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. He w ...
in the action film ''
Heads of State A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 "
he head of state He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
being an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...
'' and alongside
Karl Urban Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. His career began with appearances in New Zealand films and television series such as '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. His first Hollywood role was in the 2002 horror film ''Ghost Ship''. ...
in the action film '' The Bluff''. She will also star in filmmaker
S. S. Rajamouli Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli ( ; born 10 October 1973) is an Indian filmmaker who works in Telugu cinema. Known for his epic, action and fantasy genre films, he is the highest grossing Indian director of all time, as well as the highest-paid d ...
's as-yet untitled adventure film opposite
Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni Mahesh Babu (born 9 August 1975) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. He is one of the highest-paid actors in Indian cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. He has appeared in more tha ...
.


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 ''Thamizhan'' is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by debutant Majith and produced by G. Venkateswaran. The film stars Vijay and debutant Priyanka Chopra. This is Chopra's debut, first and only Tamil film up to date. ...
'' (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 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 ''Sa Re Ga Ma Pa'' is an Indian Hindi-language reality singing television show. It started airing on Zee TV in 1995 as ''Sa Re Ga Ma''. It is the oldest running game show in India as well as the oldest show on private television in India. The ...
''. Chopra recorded an unreleased song for ''Bluffmaster!'' (2005). In August 2011,
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
signed Chopra to a worldwide recording agreement with DesiHits. The deal indicated that her first studio album would be released by
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, 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 ...
in North America and by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
elsewhere. In July 2012, Chopra became the first Bollywood star signed by
Creative Artists Agency Creative Artists Agency, LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. With 1,800 employees in March 2016, it is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous client ...
, an entertainment and sports agency based in Los Angeles. The album was produced by
RedOne Nadir Khayat (, Latn, ar, Nādir Ḵayyāṭ; born 9 April 1972), also known as RedOne, is a Moroccan-Swedish record producer, record executive, singer and songwriter. He has worked in production for high-profile recording artists including La ...
. 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 NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League NTP and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and N ...
'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 ...
''; 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, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...
; 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 Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
. In the United States the single was unsuccessful, with 5,000 digital downloads in its first week according to
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...
, 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 27 October 2012, in Mumbai, India, and which aired on Colors TV on 25 November. An adaptation of the US version, the Indian edition is licensed and produced by Bulldog Media & Entert ...
. In December 2012, she received three nominations: Best Female Artist, Best Song and Best Video (for "In My City") at the
World Music Awards The World Music Awards was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event was based in Monte Carlo. Awards were presented to the worl ...
. Chopra was also featured on "Erase", an EDM song produced by the American DJ and producer duo
The Chainsmokers The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alex Pall and Drew Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The electronic dance music, EDM-Pop music, pop duo achieved a breakth ...
. 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 ordinar ...
" featuring American rapper
Pitbull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American B ...
, 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 The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
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), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...
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 singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...
'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 Ma ...
" 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 A lullaby (), or a cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies, they are used to pass down cultural knowl ...
from ''Mary Kom'' (2014). In 2015, she sang the title song, a duet with Farhan Akhtar, for ''
Dil Dhadakne Do ''Dil Dhadakne Do'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language family film, family comedy drama film directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the Excel Entertainment banner. The film has an ensemble cast of Anil Kap ...
''. She recorded a promotional song for ''Ventilator'' (2016), making her
Marathi language Marathi (; , 𑘦𑘨𑘰𑘙𑘲, , ) is a Classical languages of India, classical Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra and is also spoken in Goa, and parts of Guj ...
playback singing debut with "Baba". In 2017, Chopra collaborated with the Australian DJ Will Sparks for "Young and Free", an EDM song which she also wrote. Chopra later said that her music career "was not living up to my standards" and that it would have been "futile" to have kept pursuing it.


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 and feticide, foeticide, and in support of Female education, education for girls. A believer in feminism, Chopra has always been vocal about women's rights, gender equality, and gender pay gap. 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. She has worked with
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
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 activists, advocates who are designated by the United Nations. The UNICEF, ...
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 Non-governmental organization, 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 New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984 by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy. NDTV began as a production house for news segments, ...
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 Ranchi#Tourist attractions, 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 (film), Girl Rising'' for the Girl Rising, organisation of the same name. She was invited as one of the speakers alongside Gordon Brown, Steve Wozniak, Bill Clinton, and Charlie Baker for the 50th anniversary of the World Leaders Conference at the Hynes Convention Center, Boston. She spoke about Women's empowerment, women empowerment 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 (John Lennon song), Imagine". The video featuring her along with other singers, including Katy Perry, and The Black Eyed Peas was created as part of a global campaign by
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
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, a national cleanliness campaign by the
Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
. She lent her support to the campaign by working as a sanitation worker for a day, cleaning and rehabilitating a garbage-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 Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' honoured her with the Power of Women award for her philanthropic work with UNICEF and she received the Mother Teresa Awards, Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice for her contribution towards social causes. Two years later, Chopra was awarded the Danny Kaye, 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 and the Crocs, 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 Jonas, 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 works


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 Cinema of India#Regional cinema, regional Indian films. Her first Marathi cinema, Marathi film, the 2016 comedy-drama ''
Ventilator A ventilator is a type of breathing apparatus, a class of medical technology that provides mechanical ventilation by moving breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is physically unable to breathe, or breathi ...
'', was a box office success and went on to win three awards at the 64th National Film Awards. 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. In 2025, she attached herself as an executive producer on the short film ''Anuja (film), Anuja''. 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 (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. At the Startup India 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 Corporation, Target 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 Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, 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 Jawans, Jawan troops in Arunachal Pradesh, 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 ''Khatron Ke Khiladi (TV series), Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi'' on the Colors (TV channel), 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 Awards, Indian Telly Award for Most Impactful Debut on Television. In February 2016, Chopra presented the award for Academy Award for Best Film Editing, 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, Preity Zinta and
Arjun Rampal Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor and model who mainly works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on to Arjun Rampal filmography, act in ...
) 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, Chennai in the 2012 Indian Premier League opening ceremony, opening ceremony of the 2012 Indian Premier League, 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's Ahlan Bollywood Concert with other Bollywood stars such as Salman Khan and Sophie Choudry. In 2021, Chopra along with her husband
Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
, announced the nominees for the
93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...
.


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 ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Chopra criticised female genital mutilation and child marriage. Later that year, Chopra wrote an op-ed for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' titled "What Jane Austen 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 (magazine), 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'' on 9 February 2021. In a rave 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 in
Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...
, gave up her practice to support Chopra as she embarked upon a film career. A practising Hindu, Chopra performs a Puja (Hinduism), 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 Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
in May 2018. Jonas proposed to her on 19 July 2018, a day after her birthday in Crete, Greece. Chopra and Jonas became engaged in August 2018 in a Punjabi wedding traditions#Rokka (pre-engagement), 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 a daughter named Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, via surrogacy.


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", "PC" and "Piggy Chops". 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. As of August 2024, she is one of the List of most-followed Instagram accounts, most-followed people on Instagram. Remarking upon her role choices, CNN-IBN described Chopra as a powerful modern actress unafraid of experimenting with roles. Analysing Chopra's career,
Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...
noted her constant growth as a performer despite career fluctuations. ''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".





A high-profile and popular celebrity in India, Chopra is described as a sex symbol and a style icon. Her figure, eyes, lips and 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. She ranks highly on various beauty listings in the world. The UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' ranked her first on their list of "World's Sexiest Asian Women" for a record five times (2006, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017). Chopra also topped the ''Maxim (India), Maxim India''s Hot 100 list in 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018. In 2017, Buzznet named her the world's second most beautiful woman after Beyoncé. Chopra was named one of ''People (magazine), People'' magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, Most Beautiful Women in the World in 2017 and 2019. Chopra has featured on power listings, including ''Verve (Indian magazine), Verve''s most powerful Indian women (2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2016), ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
''s most powerful Indians (2016 and 2017), and ''India Today'' 50 most powerful people in India (2017 and 2018). After debuting in Hollywood, Chopra appeared in other lists, including ''People (magazine), People'' People (magazine)#Most Intriguing People of the Year, Most Intriguing People of the Year (2015), ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' Time 100, 100 Most Influential People in the World (2016), ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women, World's 100 Most Powerful Women (2017 and 2018), ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' 500 most influential business leaders (2017 and 2018), and ''USA Today'' 50 most powerful women in entertainment (2019). The market research firm YouGov named her the world's twelfth and fourteenth most-admired woman in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Chopra is also one of the highest-paid Indian celebrities and the highest paid actress in Bollywood. She has featured in the Forbes India, Indian edition of "Celebrity 100" every year since its inception in 2012, ranking under top fifteen each year except 2018. Chopra ranked as the highest earning Indian female celebrity in 2016 and 2017 with respective earnings of and , peaking at the seventh position in 2017. The global edition of ''Forbes'' named her the world's eighth-highest-paid TV actress both years. Chopra is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. She ranked second in the list of brand ambassadors of 2008 (after Shah Rukh Khan) in a survey conducted by TAM Media Research, 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 in Florence, Italy, and she received custom-designed shoes from the Ferragamo house. Madame Tussauds museum installed four wax sculptures of her in 2019 at four locations, including Madame Tussauds New York, New York, Madame Tussauds London, London, Madame Tussauds Sydney, Sydney, 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 (clothing), Guess, whose CEO Paul Marciano called her "the young Sophia Loren". Chopra's life, pictures of her family and win at the Miss World in 2000 were depicted in a chapter of ''Roving Families, Shifting Homes'', a book taught at Springdales School. Three unauthorised biographies of her have 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).


Awards and nominations

Chopra has won a
National Film Award for Best Actress The National Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry. ...
for ''Fashion'' (2008) and five Filmfare Awards: Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, Best Female Debut for ''Andaaz'' (2003), Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role, Best Performance in a Negative Role for ''Aitraaz'' (2004), Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Best Actress for ''Fashion'' (2008), Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, 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 Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
, the Indian honours system, 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 Jamshedpur Actresses in Hindi cinema Beauty pageant contestants from Jharkhand People from Jamshedpur Best Actress National Film Award winners Expatriate musicians in the United States Female models from Jamshedpur 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 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 of Punjabi descent 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