In the last few years, Priyanka Chopra has made a name for herself in in Hollywood, has presented an award at the Oscars, dined with the Obamas in White House, received the prestigious Padma Shri (Indian civilian award), making India proud of her achievements.

Following Priyanka Chopra’s success, other Bollywood actors are now making plans (and have aspirations) of making it big in the North American film industry.

But despite her success, Priyanka Chopra acknowledges she is not “a Hollywood star” just yet.

“I may be on the cover of Time [Magazine] because of 100 most influential, People’s Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards but I think there is such a long way to go.”

What Drew Priyanka to Hollywood?

Its the challenge and the opportunity to expand her creativity, says the actress. She’s doing music, which she has not done before. And with different kinds of roles, she’s challenging herself more than ever.

Miss Chopra is used to doing vocal dubbing during post-production for Bollywood films, however voicing an animated character (in disney’s film ‘Planes’) was a different kind of challenge.

Seeking a foothold in America was also a good career move on Priyanka’s part, as she (along with her peers like Kareena Kapoor & Katrina Kaif) had started facing stiff competition in Bollywood from the younger lot, such as Deepika Padukone.

Also Read: Priyanka turns producer.

In America, Priyanka Doesn’t Like to be Labeled an Indian Actress

Piggy Chops (Priyanka Chopra’s nick name) feels that the biggest challenge most A-list Bollywood actors face in Hollywood is that there’s a very big stereotype with Indian actors, and you get only Indian parts.

Priyanka Chopra, whose performance was appreciated in the American Television thriller ‘Quantico’, doesn’t like to be labeled an Indian actress, says its not fair to her. After all, she has made it big in the US, based on her merit, and not because of her ethnicity.

Ms. Chopra also correctly points out that similar stereotypes aren’t applied to actors from other countries. “We don’t say, ‘Spanish celebrity Penelope Cruz’ or ‘Italian star Sophia Loren.’ So why make it a defining point for me?”

“To convince another part of the world that Bollywood is not just jokers who break in to song and dance was very difficult. I’m literally ploughing the ground and making people understand that Indian actors are not a joke.”

However, with her music and film career expanding outside of Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra feels that she is now in a position to change common misconceptions that people abroad may have about India.

Priyanka Chopra Dines With Barack Obama in White House

Losing Out on Blockbuster Hollywood Films

Priyanka Chopra was offered a role in Brad Pitt’s Troy but here refusal to do sex scenes or scenes with nudity saw her lose out on that movie (even Aishwarya Rai Bachchan refused the same role for the same reasons).

Priyanka Chopra is clear about her conditions for choosing films.

“I always look for the same thing which is a story that I would want to go watch and a character that would inspire me and women around the world,” says Chopra.

Priyanka Chopra was also offered an important role in the Hollywood hit ‘Immortals’, however she couldn’t take it because it clashed with her dates which she had committed to ‘7 Khoon Maaf.’

Priyanka Chopra Presents Best Film Editing Award at Academy Awards Ceremony

Priyanka Chopra presented the award (along with Liev Schreiber) for the Best Achievement in Film Editing at the Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Chopra wore a white strapless Zuhair Murad designed dress.

Also Read: The allure of the Oscars

Priyanka Chopra Appreciated in American Television Thriller ‘Quantico’

Ms. Chopra may have appeared in several Bollywood films, was crowned Miss World in 2000, can sing as well, and boasts an impressive 11 million Twitter followers. However, for the mainstream American audience, she’s relatively unknown, which she hopes to set right with “Quantico”.

After ‘Quantico’ went on air, the foreign media had been appreciating Priyanka for her performance in the thriller.

Priyanka played the role of a FBI trainee in the ABC drama “Quantico”. The ABC thriller follows a group of newbie FBI recruits, including Alex Parrish (Chopra), who is framed for the biggest terrorist attack on New York City since 9/11.

Miss Chopra took dialect training for the shoot and was seen prepping, shooting and bonding with her co-stars Johanna Braddy, Graham Rogers, Brian Jacob Smith, Yasmine Al Massri and other members of the cast and crew.

Foray in International Music Scene

In the past, Priyanka had cut three singles – In My City, Exotic and I Can’t Make You Love Me – for the international music market. Unfortunately, none managed to set the global charts afire.

She will now be banking on ‘Quantico’ to be a success, which could give her international career a push.

Hollywood Ambitions

The multi-talented Priyanka Chopra also plays an eye-catching animated racing airplane in Disney’s global adventure “Planes”, and her step into Hollywood also coincides with her foray into pop music. She has lend her voice to an animated plane named ‘Ishani’ in Disney’s upcoming movie, and will also be making her debut as a playback singer in the film.

GUESS Girl
Priyanka Chopra has also managed to achieve a feat that no other Indian actress has done in the past. The model-turned-Bollywood-actress has been signed by international fashion brand ‘Guess’.

Career Focus
Not many are surprised by Chopra’s transition from film to music as she’s also good at songwriting, and has utilized her musical talents for various Bollywood films in the past. She has even sung the song “Ullathai Killadhe” for the 2002 Tamil film “Thamizhan”.

Chopra’s first pop single was “In My City” which featured will.i.am Of The Black Eyed Peas, and was a commercial success in India, with over 100,000 copies sold in the weeks following its release, and also earned Priyanka Chopra the Best International Debut Award at the 2012 People’s Choice Awards India.

Chopra’s music video “Exotic”, which featured American rapper Pitbull, debuted at #1 on Itunes India, #16 on the Billboard Dance chart, and was #74 on Canada’s Hot 100 chart.

In the last few years, Priyanka has also been experimental while choosing Bollywood roles. She’s played an autistic girl, a boxer and a policewoman; all ground breaking female characters.

There’s no doubt that Priyanka Chopra has come a long way after being the winner of Miss World 2000, and am sure she’s aiming much higher.

Bollywood’s newest BFF

In an industry, where rivalries make headlines, Priyanka Chopra is not just popular with her fans, she’s also liked by her industry contemporaries alike. Look what her fellow actors have to say about her.

1. Alia Bhatt: I think the one person who has done our country and the industry proud is Priyanka Chopra. She has cut an international album. She is an inspiration for me to make me believe that I can also do something in that space.
2. Shraddha Kapoor: Priyanka Chopra is my idol. Who else marches to her own music? Priyanka Chopra does exactly what she wants, and I would love to meet her properly.
3. Esha Gupta: I really admire Priyanka Chopra. She has been so humble every time I’ve met her. Other people get brands and then go abroad. But she has made herself a brand; she’s now a brand and not an actor. She has taken up a singing career and is enjoying it. She is having fun with her life with no regard for criticism. I would really love to follow her path.
4. Gauahar Khan: Priyanka is my onscreen idol. I take inspiration from Priyanka Chopra’s performance in Barfi!.
5. Priyanka also shares a warm equation with Anushka Sharma, as was seen on the sets of Dil Dhadakne Do (onboard the European cruise liner).
6. Priyanka also shares a great rapport with Sonakshi Sinha…obvious from their cute picture clicked during IIFA 2014.
7. And everybody knows that she’s best friends with Deepika Padukone

Now those are qualities that definitely should be admired. I hope our male actors take some cue from her!

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