Priyanka Chopra (Hindi: प्रियंका चोपड़ा, pronounced [prɪˈjəŋkaː ˈtʃoːpɽaː]; born 18 July 1982)[1] is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000.[2] She is often referred to by the nickname "Piggy Chops", which was given to her by co-stars on the set of the film Bluffmaster![3]
Chopra made her acting debut with the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan. The following year, she made her Bollywood film debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and followed it with the hit Andaaz, for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004, she became the second woman to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award, which she received for her critically acclaimed performance in Aitraaz. Chopra would later have commercial success with films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Krrish (2006) and Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006).[4] In 2008, Chopra received a National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as a Filmfare Award for Best Actress[5][6] for her portrayal of a model in Fashion and has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Bollywood.
Chopra was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand to Ashok Chopra and Madhu Akhauri, both physicians by profession. Chopra spent her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Newton, Massachusetts; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[9] Her father was in the army and thus her family moved quite frequently. Her father hailed from a family of Punjabi origin, settled in Bareilly and her mother comes from a family settled in Jamshedpur. She also has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years younger than she is.[10]
Chopra studied at La Martiniere Girls' School in Lucknow as a young girl. She subsequently re-located to the U.S. where she studied in Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts and then in John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[11] She returned to India and finished her high school at Army School in Bareilly. She began college at Jai Hind College in Mumbai, but left after winning the Miss World pageant.
Chopra's mother sent in pictures of her for the Miss India contest. When she got called to participate, she was surprised and did it mainly to take a break from studying.[13] She came in second place at the Femina Miss India 2000 competition, winning the Femina Miss India World title. She was subsequently sent to the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned Miss World 2000.[14] In the same year, Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza, both also from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns respectively, in a rare triple victory for one country.[15][16] When Chopra won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian woman to win the title, and the fourth Indian woman to win in a span of seven years.
Chopra made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan playing the role of Priya, the love interest of the protaginist in the film played by Vijay. The film was praised for its wit, although the depth of Chopra's character was seen as lacking.[17] Chopra also sang playback in the film, singing "Ullathai Killadhe" along with Vijay. In 2003, she appeared in her first Bollywood film, opposite Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in the Anil Sharma film The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. She played a supporting role as a doctor named Shaheen in the film that The New York Times described as "ripping its text from the seething border tensions between India and Pakistan, spicing its conflict with hot-tempered religious zealots bent on nuclear havoc".[18] Despite being one of the highest grossing films of that year, the overall film was not well received by critics.[19] Chopra was awarded mostly good reviews for her debut Hindi performance.[20] Later that year she appeared in Raj Kanwar's Andaaz, playing the character of Jiya who falls in love with Raj Malhotra, played by Akshay Kumar. The film was a success at the box office,[19] earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
Rediff.com said of her role, "Priyanka Chopra alone clicks with the audience, thanks to her skimpy outfits."[21]
[edit]
Initial success and struggle phase (2004–08)
Chopra as the seductive vamp Mrs Sonia Roy in Aitraaz (2004), which earned her the Filmfare Best Villain Award.
Her next few films released in 2004 Plan, Kismat and Asambhav performed poorly at the box office.[22] Later that year she appeared in David Dhawan's romantic comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi playing the role of a young fashion designer Rani along with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. The film turned out to be the third-highest grossing film of that year.[23] She next starred in Abbas-Mustan's thriller Aitraaz. It was her first negative role and her performance was critically acclaimed.[24] She earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award, becoming the second and last female actor to win the award after Kajol (the category has been retired since 2008). She also received a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for the role. Film critic Subhash K. Jha noted, "A star is born! As the predatory social-climbing seductress who can go to any length to satiate her lust for life, Priyanka Chopra rocks the scene like never before. The film is undoubtedly a triumph for Priyanka Chopra. With half a smile, a twitch of her lip and a movement of her eyebrow she seems to slip into her man-eater's role with captivating ease".[25] In 2005, she starred in six films. Four of them, Blackmail, Karam, Yakeen and Barsaat failed to do well.[22] However, her performance in Yakeen garnered good reviews from critics.[26]
Her other two 2005 releases, Waqt: The Race Against Time and Bluffmaster! performed moderately at the box office.[22][27] In 2006, Chopra starred in two of the most successful films of the year: Krrish, in which she shared the screen with Hrithik Roshan and Rekha, and Don: The Chase Begins Again, alongside Shahrukh Khan which was a remake of the 1978 film Don. She played the character of Roma, a role which was played by Zeenat Aman in the original movie.[28]
In 2007, she appeared in Nikhil Advani's ensemble piece Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love. Despite a promising opening, the movie was a financial failure.[29] Chopra's next release, the much-delayed[30] Big Brother, also underperformed at the box-office. In 2008, Chopra acted in six films. Her first four films, Love Story 2050, God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku and Drona, were critically and commercially unsuccessful.[31] Critics started panning her for choosing the wrong movies and criticising her performances.[32] Still, she was noted for her physical performance in Drona with Rediff writing, "Chopra truly impresses with her convincing action heroine skills."[33]
[edit]
Fashion and recent work (2008–present)
Chopra as the supermodel Meghna Mathur in Fashion (2008), which earned her the National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
After a series of flops, Chopra was cast in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion (2008) for the lead role of Meghna Mathur. Revolving around the fashion world through Chopra's role of an ambitious model, the film was a critical success. Her performance in the film was appreciated and earned her several awards for Best Actress including the National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[34][35] Subhash K Jha said of her performance, "Her transformation from the bubbly Chandigarh girl to the super-ambitious supermodel, who dumps her boyfriend and conscience to pursue her dreams, is achieved with a gentle subtlety and bridled passion. This is Priyanka’s coming-of-age film. She looks like a zillion bucks. And acts like a woman who connects with the darkest, most desperate human emotions without wallowing in them."[36] Chopra's final release of the year was Tarun Mansukhani's romantic comedy Dostana. The film was a moderate financial success.[31] Rajeev Masand wrote about her performance, "Priyanka Chopra, is at complete ease, slipping effortlessly into the role of the hottie-with-a-heart-of-gold; she looks smashing in this film, better than she's ever looked before."[37]
In 2009, she appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's caper thriller Kaminey alongside Shahid Kapoor, playing the role of a feisty Marathi girl named Sweety. Her performance in the film was described by critic Taran Adarsh as "first-rate", who further stated, "She's so much in sync with her character... [and] gets the Maharashtrian accent perfect".[38] She subsequently appeared in Ashutosh Gowariker's romantic comedy What's Your Raashee?, a film which made Chopra the first actress in cinema history to portray 12 distinct characters in one film.[39] She was reportedly being considered for inclusion in the upcoming edition of Guinness World Records for this feat.[40] The film itself was a financial and critical failure,[41][42] but Chopra's performance in the film was appreciated by critics.[43]
In 2010, Chopra appeared in Jugal Hansraj's Pyaar Impossible! where she portrayed the role of a college beauty who eventually falls in love with a geek. The film was a commercial and critical failure.[44] Her next release, Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani alongside Ranbir Kapoor, got a good initial response at the box office,[44] but was not well-received by the critics.[45]
In early 2011, Chopra appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's black comedy 7 Khoon Maaf, in which she portrayed the role of an Anglo-Indian woman who murders her seven husbands. Her performance in the film garnered mixed reviews by the critics.[46][47] She has completed the filming of Farhan Akhtar's Don 2: The King is Back alongside Shahrukh Khan. She is working on Anurag Basu's Barfee, in which she is playing a mentally challenged girl,[48] and Karan Johar's Agneepath remake,[49] the filming of both being held in back-to-back schedules.[50] She is also filming for Kunal Kohli's next venture opposite Shahid Kapoor, titled Teri Meri Kahaani, in which she plays a yesteryear actress.[51] Recently, she has also confirmed to be reprising her role of Priya in the sequel film Krrish 2.[52]
[edit]
Music career
Chopra is also a trained western classical singer. In August 2011, she signed a worldwide recording agreement with Universal Music and Desi Hits to record and release her first music album.[53] The album will be released in North America with Desi Hits through Interscope Records and in other international markets on UK's Island Records. Her music career will be managed by Troy Carter, chief executive officer of Atom Factory. The album, which will be produced by Universal Music Group and Desi Hits will contain about ten pop songs and will release worldwide, sometime in 2012. Chopra is currently writing and recording the album in English.[54][55]
[edit]
Other work
Chopra became a television host with the Colors' reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi. She replaced actor Akshay Kumar who hosted the previous two seasons. The show, which premiered on 6 September 2010, beat the opening ratings of the previous two seasons.[56]
Chopra participated in a concert tour titled Temptations 2004 with other Bollywood actors and actresses, including Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal. She sang, danced and performed in skits.[57] She was also offered the opportunity do the playback singing of "Tinka Tinka" in Karam (2005). She declined, wanting to concentrate on acting, but later sang the song live on the TV program Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.[58]
On 12 December 2009, she was present as a judge for the Miss World 2009 competition held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Chopra continues to do some modelling work, such as appearing for fashion designer Ritu Kumar's collection at HDIL India Couture Week.[59] She has a number of endorsements and is one of the top paid Bollywood actresses in this respect.[60] She has represented brands including Lux, Ponds, Sunsilk, Hero Honda, Nokia, Tag Heuer, J. Hampsted, Virgin Comic, Asmi Jewelry, Levis, Bru, and Nikon.[61][62]
Chopra has also become brand ambassador of charities including NDTV's Greenathon, which seeks to encourage people to go green, and to highlight and help with the lack of electricity in rural villages. She has "adopted" multiple villages in support of the cause.[63][64] She was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2010.[65]
[edit]
Awards and honours
See also: List of awards and nominations received by Priyanka Chopra
Chopra has won several movie awards, including the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award in 2003 for Andaaz, the Filmfare Best Villain Award in 2005 for Aitraaz, and the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 2009 for Fashion. She also received the 2009 National Film Award for Best Actress for Fashion.
Apart from awards, Chopra has been featured on different polls. In 2006, the UK magazine Eastern Eye ranked her first on their list of "Asia's Sexiest Women",[66] and an eBay online poll crowned her the Style Diva of the year.[67] In 2011, Chopra was declared by People Magazine India as the Best Dressed Woman of the year[68] and by Maxim Magazine as the Hottest Girl of the year.[69]
[edit]
FilmographyYear Title Role Notes
2002 Thamizhan Priya Tamil film
Sung playback for the song "Ullathai Killadhe"
2003 The Hero: Love Story of a Spy Shaheen Zakaria
2003 Andaaz Jiya Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2004 Plan Rani
2004 Kismat Sapna
2004 Asambhav Alisha
2004 Mujhse Shaadi Karogi Rani Singh
2004 Aitraaz Mrs. Sonia Roy Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role
Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005 Blackmail Mrs. Rathod
2005 Karam Shalini
2005 Waqt: The Race Against Time Pooja (Mitali)
2005 Yakeen Simar
2005 Barsaat Kajal
2005 Bluffmaster! Simmi Ahuja
2006 Taxi No. 9211 Special appearance
2006 36 China Town Seema Special appearance
2006 Alag Special appearance in song "Sabse Alag"
2006 Krrish Priya
2006 Aap Ki Khatir Anu
2006 Don: The Chase Begins Again Roma
2007 Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love Kamini
2007 Big Brother Aarthi Sharma
2007 Om Shanti Om Herself Special appearance in song "Deewangi Deewangi"
2008 My Name is Anthony Gonsalves Herself Special appearance
2008 Love Story 2050 Sana / Zeisha Double role
2008 God Tussi Great Ho Alia Kapoor
2008 Chamku Shubhi
2008 Drona Sonia
2008 Fashion Meghna Mathur National Film Award for Best Actress
Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2008 Dostana Neha Melwani
2009 Billu Herself Special appearance in song "You Get Me Rockin & Reeling"
2009 Kaminey Sweety Shekhar Bhope Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2009 What's Your Raashee? 12 roles Anjali / Vishakha / Kajal / Hansa / Mallika / Pooja / Rajni /
Nandini / Bhavna / Jhankhana / Sanjna / Chandrika
2010 Pyaar Impossible! Alisha Merchant
2010 Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai Herself Special appearance
2010 Anjaana Anjaani Kiara
2011 7 Khoon Maaf Susanna Anna-Marie
Johannes
2011 Ra.One Special appearance
2011 Don 2: The King is Back Roma
2012 Agneepath Kaali Releasing on January 26, 2012[70]
2012 Barfee Filming
2012 Teri Meri Kahaani Filming (Releasing on June 22, 2012)[70]
2012 Krrish 2 Priya Filming
