Priyanka Chopra happens to be one of the finest actors all across the globe now. Becoming equally known for her work in Bollywood and Hollywood, the actress is truly making us proud as Indians.
However, while we celebrate her success today, we are also heading back to the time when she spoke on how it was tough for her to make it into Hollywood and she never had it easy.
PeeCee said, “When I went to America, there wasn’t a precedence. I didn’t have a road map to follow because there was no one who had done it before. I had to figure it out, walk into rooms, introduce myself, say ‘I am an Indian actor, my name is Priyanka Chopra, these are the kind of films I want to do’. I demanded playing leading ladies, instead of having parts which were the stereotype of what a Bollywood actor would usually get. Those also came to me, but I was very clear about what I wanted to do.”
Adding on how Bollywood was considered as a genre back the time she joined Hollywood, she said, “I dug my feet in, persevered and did what I needed to do. I am so glad, and hope through me… it’s my life’s dream that Indian cinema becomes global. We are one of the biggest movie industries in the world, and we have been reduced to a genre? If you look on streaming services, you will see ‘horror’ ‘comedy’ ‘drama’ ‘Bollywood’. Bollywood is not a genre, it’s an entire industry! It’s my life’s dream to see Indian cinema and artists take over the West.” She also added on the positive shift on the acceptance of Bollywood actors in Hollywood, “It’s better. Somewhere, people don’t see Bollywood with the lens that they saw with when I started working in America. I got a lot of ‘so you must be dancing well?’ and I used to be like ‘Ya, I can sing, dance and act, I am a triple threat!’ So you stop people in tracks and say ‘I am not just one thing’.. It took a lot of work, I am so glad. I hope beyond what we are seeing, I want to see Indian actors in mainstream global entertainers. That’s what I have done with Quantico, Baywatch and the movies The White Tiger and We Can Be Heroes. That’s where we need to see more Indian talent,”
Talking about her biggest achievement when she and Mindy Kaling walked into the universal studios, she said, “To me, it was a massive achievement when Mindy and I walked into Universal Studios, came out with a deal for an all-Indian star cast in a Hollywood movie, in a romantic comedy! That’s never happened in a mainstream rom-com! I remember, we came out, held our hands, we couldn’t believe it. It took us fighting the fight. I am hoping to be able to create so many more opportunities for Indian actors in my small way. I am obviously not saying I can change everything. But in my small way… that’s my quest.” as stated in HT.
