Daddy’s Little Girl, India’s Biggest Star

From posters in auto rickshaws to billboards in Time Square, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, famously known as PeeCee, is an A list celebrity whose name is familiar to all in Indian households, which will soon stand true for the West as well, making her one of the leading actresses in today’s time.

Priyanka Chopra. Illustrated by Anupama: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

If anyone were to think of the surroundings in a cinema hall, they would probably imagine popcorn, dim lights, tickets, chairs, etc. Yet if asking the same question to a Bollywood buff, including the former, they would surely picture one of the faces of Indian cinema, PeeCee, or the beloved Priyanka Chopra Jonas starring in the film being shown in their hypothetical scenario. This is the impact PeeCee has made on her fans, which now has crossed borders and seas. Yet Priyanka’s story wasn’t born right out of stardom, for she belonged to a family of military physicians, who were far away from the spotlights. When Priyanka was born today in 1982 in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, her family was always on the go, going from place to place due to their military postings, having absolutely no idea whatsoever that in the future, it would be their daughter leading their family to notoriety.

Priyanka spent her early days attending a number of schools across different cities, and according to PeeCee herself, she never minded it as life gave her opportunities to interact with various new people and cultures every few months. Although she grew up in multiple cities, Priyanka holds Bareilly closest to her heart. To top her constant conversations with different cities, right at the cusp of becoming a teenager, Priyanka moved all across the globe to the United States, living with her aunt and completing her schooling. She soon returned back to India, having no idea that the United States would become her second home years later.

Upon her arrival in Bareilly, Priyanka’s mother began to notice her charm and beauty and made her enrol at a local beauty pageant which she ended up winning.

However, this was just a drop in the ocean of her career, for Priyanka is known famously for becoming the runner-up for the title of Miss India 2000 and subsequently crowned Miss world 2020 at the young age of 18. These achievements in the Pageant Industry were the stepping stones for her to enter the world of Bollywood, making her one of the biggest stars to have ever lived.

However, Priyanka’s journey to stardom wasn’t as smooth as one would imagine. She was instantly distinguished by movie producers and directors due to her elegance, but her debut films gained the attention of the audience only because of her beauty rather than her acting skills. Popular film critics reviewed her movies yet rarely ever classified her films as ‘forgettable’ during the releases of Plan, Kismat, and Asambhav and 2004. Although she released a few films which did commercially well in the 2000s, most of her performances till 2008 were unsuccessful, with a few exceptions like Dostana, Krishh, Aitraaz (which is now considered as her first outstanding portrayal of a character) and Don sprinkled over. In fact, her string of unsuccessful films during 2007-2008 became so prominent, that people soon began to speculate that her career had lived its lifespan.

It was during the backdrop of such whispers that she starred in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion which was one of the first female-led Bollywood movies to have broken all records, completely shattering the box office, paving way for a new dawn in Indian Cinema.

According to PeeCee, the introduction of female-led films was due to the release of Fashion, and her claim was definitely backed up with the variety of awards she received for the same, which included the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, the National Film Award for Best Actress, and the IIFA Award for Best Actress.

This was a turning point in her career, which further gave her the confidence to experiment with unconventional roles in the upcoming years, making her breakout from the ‘glamour’ she was earlier perceived for to a full-fledged Bollywood superstar with top-tier acting skills. This set of films included What's Your Raashee? where she played a historic role of 12 different characters; Agneepath where critics claimed she wonderfully stood out in a male-dominated film; Barfi! where she was critically appreciated for her outstanding performance of an individual suffering from autism and Mary Kom where she portrayed its eponym with great skill. Winning a plethora of awards in the years from 2009-2014, Priyanka was finally an A-list celebrity who was recognized for her talent.

PeeCee proved herself time and again, making sure her uncontested passion is known to all, and went overseas to the West to broaden her horizons, becoming one of the first Indian Celebrities to successfully make a name for themselves on international lands. She landed up with roles in Seth Gordon's action comedy Baywatch, A Kid Like Jake, Isn't It Romantic, and even became one of the first South Asians to headline an American network drama series, which was named Quantico. In her time in the States, luck was in her favour for she met her now-husband Nick Jonas in 2017.

Nevertheless, PeeCee has made sure to never forget her roots and the homeland she owes so much to, for in recent years she has also starred in positively received films such as Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani, Shonali Bose's biographical drama The Sky Is Pink and many more.

However, Priyanka is more than just a “movie star” for her philanthropic endeavours such as working closely with UNICEF, NDTV's Greenathon, donations speak for themselves. Although criticized for her one-sided activism, she still continues to fight for what she believes in, in all her social media platforms and otherwise. Her deeds haven’t gone unnoticed as is also the recipient of the Padma Shri, one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine and among the World's 100 Most Powerful Women list by Forbes.

Priyanka’s career has proved itself to be impossible to fit into words, as lesser-known to all is that she has also ventured out into the fields of singing, film production, entrepreneurship, and writing, becoming one of the most multi-talented individuals to have ever existed. At the age of 39, Priyanka’s milestones in her career are uncountable, making it almost scary to think that she once thought a ‘failed’ career shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas; Image Source: Qrius