Priyanka Chopra (born July 18, 1982) is an Indian actress and singer. Chopra was the winner of the 2000 Miss World pageant and has since then become one of the highest-paid and most well-known Bollywood actresses. She is most well-known for starring as Alex Parrish on ABC’s drama Quantico. Chopra has received numerous awards and nominations, including the National Film Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. In 2016, she was also decorated with the Padma Shri, the 4th highest civilian award granted by the Indian government.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA BIO: EARLY LIFE

Born in Jamshedpur, India, Chopra moved to the United States to study at the age of 13. Her teenage years were unstable as her aunt’s family, with whom she was staying, had to constantly move. During her high school years in the US, she struggled with racism and bullying, which ultimately caused her to return to India, where she finished her education.

Following this period, Chopra entered a number of local beauty contests before eventually going to the Miss World pageant and being recognized as Miss World 2000. This made her the fifth Indian contestant to ever win Miss World.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA: BREAKTHROUGH AND CAREER

“I didn’t know I could be an actor”

“And I just never looked back. I learned the job. I taught myself what acting was”

“Whatever I have today is just out of the experience of having the opportunity of doing it.”

At this time, Chopra had already enrolled in college, but the Miss World title had brought her both recognition and multiple film offers. She finally made her Bollywood debut as the second female lead in Anil Sharma‘s 2003 film The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. Even though critics received the film with mixed feelings, Chopra’s acting career was off to a solid start. Her next screen appearance in Raj Kanwar‘s box-office success, Andaaz earned Chopra her first major award – the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. It wasn’t until late 2004 that she starred as the antagonist in the critically acclaimed thriller Aitraaz, directed by Abbas-Mustan.

Looking back on her first steps in acting, Chopra shares that she didn’t know she could be an actor, but once her first films were met with some success she “never looked back.” She reveals that she had to learn the craft through experience because there she couldn’t have access to professional acting school: “I learned the job. I taught myself what acting was… Whatever I have today is just out of the experience of having the opportunity of doing it.”

After the relatively successful debut and early years of her career, Chopra encountered a few setbacks in her work in early 2005. Over the next few years, she starred in several movies with great critical acclaim as well as many, in which her performance was not as praised by critics. This series of poorly received movies was interrupted by Madhur Bhandarkar‘s 2008 drama about the Indian fashion industry titled Fashion. This production was a staggering commercial success, mainly because it was centered around the lives of women, and became a turning point in Chopra’s career.

Chopra’s film credits over the next years include films with international acclaim like Don 2, the sequel to the 2006 Don, which played at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival and at the 2012 International Film Festival of Marrakesh. In 2012, Chopra also starred in Anurag Basu’s Barfi!, where she convincingly portrayed the challenging role of an autistic woman who falls in love with a deaf, mute man. The film ranked as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time, received multiple nominations, and was played at important film festivals around the world.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA: ‘QUANTICO’

Chopra is perhaps best known to American audiences from one of her most recent projects as the FBI recruit Alex Parris on ABC’s Quantico. On September 27, 2015, ABC premiered the pilot for the drama, which followed a group of FBI recruits and their unique stories in an overarching narrative of treason. Chopra’s character, Alex Parrish, was suspected of being involved in the most devastating terrorist attack on American soil following September 11. Chopra has been praised by multiple media for her performance, which has also earned her a People’s Choice Award in the category “Favourite Actress In A New TV Series,” making her the first South Asian actress to ever win a People’s Choice Award. The series ended in 2018 after a three-season run.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA: RECENT WORK

Chopra’s most recent work includes the historical romance drama Bajirao Mastani, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She stars in the role of Bajirao’s first wife Kashibai alongside Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in the roles of Maratha Peshwa Bajirao I and his second wife Mastani respectively.

“For me the film is a verse in movement. That film is beautiful. It is wonderful. Generally characters don’t influence me yet this film has sincerely depleted me. I am rationally influenced… As a character it is something I haven’t encountered. There is so much enthusiastic turmoil. It is a seventeenth century film and the most troublesome film I have ever done.”

The film was released on December 18, 2015, and received an overall positive critical reaction and has enjoyed tremendous commercial success, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.

In 2023, Chopra starred in the rom-com Love Agai alongside Celine Dion and Sam Heughan. Shortly after the film’s premiere, Chopra’s new series Citadel aired on Amazon Prime Video. The show follows a group of agents whose memories have been wiped clean. It costars Stanley Tucci and Richard Madden and has been renewed for a second season.

PRIYANKA CHOPRA: DATING AND PERSONAL LIFE

Various media publications have deemed Chopra the world’s sexiest Asian woman, and with such a high profile, there has been a great deal of speculation about her personal life. Her name has been associated with a number of fellow actors over the years, but she has remained particular about keeping her personal life private and respects the media that allow her to have this sort of privacy.

In 2018, Chopra married pop star Nick Jonas. In addition to a traditional American ceremony, the couple also had a traditional Hindu ceremony the following day, and their wedding was a hot topic in the world of pop culture for many weeks. In 2022, the couple welcomed a daughter, Malti Marie, via surrogate.

Apart from her professional endeavors, Chopra is also known for her philanthropic work. In 2010, for example, she was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights. She is also an ardent proponent of various causes such as environment, health and education, particularly issues regarding gender inequality, women’s empowerment and women’s rights.

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