Priyanka Chopra (Hindi: प्रियंका चोपड़ा; born July 18, 1982)[1] is an Indian film actress and former Miss World, who acts in Bollywood films.
After winning the title of Miss India World and later becoming Miss World 2000, Chopra made her acting debut with the Tamil film Thamizhan (2002). The following year, she made her Bollywood debut with Anil Sharma's The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and had her first commercial success with her second release, Andaaz from the same year, for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. Becoming the second woman to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award for her critically acclaimed performance in Abbas-Mustan's Aitraaz (2004), Chopra later went on to deliver commercial success with films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Krrish (2006), her biggest commercial success so far, and Don - The Chase Begins Again (2006), thus establishing herself as a popular actress.
Early life
She was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand to Ashok Chopra and Madhu Akhauri, both doctors by profession.[3] Chopra spent her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, in Newton, Massachusetts and in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[4] 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, Uttar Pradesh and her mother comes from a Bihari Kayastha family settled in Jamshedpur. She also has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years younger than her.[5]
Chopra studied at St. Maria Goretti in Bareilly and La Martiniere Girls' School in Lucknow as a young girl. These frequent re-locations took place as Ashok was a doctor in the Indian Army. She subsequently re-located to the U.S. where she studied in Newton's Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts and then in Cedar Rapid's John F. Kennedy High School in Massachusetts and Iowa respectively.[1] She returned to India and did 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.
Miss World
Chopra was crowned Miss India World and later Miss World in 2000.[6] In the same year, Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza, both also from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns, in a rare triple victory for one country.
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.
Acting career
After winning the Miss World title, Chopra became an actress. She made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan alongside Vijay, in which she also sung playback, before moving on to Bollywood. In 2003, her first Bollywood film, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy released and won her good reviews.[7] Despite being given a below average status, the film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of that year.[8]
Her next film, Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar was a success,[9] earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
Her next few films performed poorly at the box office.[10]
In 2004, her film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi was released, and became the third highest grossing film of that year.[11]
Her next release, Aitraaz, was a Hindi remake of the Demi Moore vehicle Disclosure. It was her first "negative" role, with her playing the villain. Her performance won critical acclaim[12] and earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award. She also received a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In the same year, she participated in a world tour titled Temptations 2004 with several of Bollywood's leading stars, including Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji and Arjun Rampal.
In 2005, several of her films were released, though most did not do well at the box office.[13]
In 2006, Chopra starred in two of the most successful films of the year - Krrish and Don - The Chase Begins Again.[14]
Nikhil Advani's ensemble piece, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love was Chopra's first release in 2007. The movie failed to do well at the box office.[15] Chopra's next release, Big Brother also underperformed. Her other releases in 2008 included Love Story 2050, God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku and Drona, all of which were considered flops. However, her most recent releases, Fashion and Dostana, have succeeded at the box office, and her performance in the former garnered her critical acclaim, earning Chopra the Star Screen Award for Best Actress.
Awards and honors
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Thamizhan | Priya | Tamil film |
| 2003 | The Hero: Love Story of a Spy | Shaheen Zakaria | |
| Andaaz | Jiya | Winner, Filmfare Best Female Debut Award Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award | |
| 2004 | Plan | Rani | |
| Kismat | Sapna | ||
| Asambhav | Alisha | ||
| Mujhse Shaadi Karogi | Rani Singh | ||
| Aitraaz | Mrs. Sonia Roy | Winner, Filmfare Best Villain Award Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award | |
| 2005 | Blackmail | Mrs. Rathod | |
| Karam | Shalini | ||
| Waqt: The Race Against Time | Pooja | ||
| Yakeen | Simar | ||
| Barsaat | Kajal | ||
| Bluffmaster | Simmi Ahuja | ||
| 2006 | Taxi Number 9211 | Special appearance | |
| 36 China Town | Special appearance | ||
| Alag | Special appearance in song Sabse Alag | ||
| Krrish | Priya | ||
| Aap Ki Khatir | Anu | ||
| Don - The Chase Begins Again | Roma | ||
| 2007 | Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love | Kkamini | |
| Big Brother | Aarthi Sharma | ||
| Om Shanti Om | Herself | Special appearance in song Deewangi Deewangi | |
| 2008 | My Name is Anthony Gonsalves | Herself | Special appearance |
| Love Story 2050 | Sana/Zeisha | Double role | |
| God Tussi Great Ho | Alia Kapoor | ||
| Chamku | Shubhi | ||
| Drona | Sonia | ||
| Fashion | Meghna Mathur | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award | |
| Dostana | Neha Melwani | ||
| 2009 | Billu | Herself | Special appearance in song You Get Me Rockin & Reeling |
| Kaminey | Filming | ||
| What's Your Raashee? | Filming |
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