After conquering Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra is on a steady rise in Hollywood. As the actress continues to work towards global domination, Priyanka has always attributed her success to her parents, the late Dr Ashok Chopra and Dr Madhu Chopra. Now, the star's mother Madhu Chopra has spoken about her daughter's rise to superstardom. From her Miss World win to headlining Hollywood projects, Madhu Chopra in interaction with Josh Talks Aasha said that the journey was not an easy one. She added that given their family had no prior connection to the entertainment industry, Priyanka Chopra's initial years in the industry were fraught with challenges.
Further, Madhu Chopra said that the family was initially apprehensive about Priyanka Chopra's participation in Miss India and Miss World pageants. “Chopra's family did have a problem,” referring to her husband Dr Ashok Chopra. “They said that the girls of our family do not do this (join the entertainment industry). My in-laws are from an army background so they tend to be more protective of women. They were very protective. The entire family sat down for a panchayat. I put my side across, they put their reasoning across. Finally, my brother-in-law said, ‘Let her pursue this opportunity but on one condition. She will never go anywhere alone'. Either I have to be with her or her father has to be with her. I really wanted her not to miss this opportunity. I did not take a minute to think… If my being with her is better, I will do that. I just dropped my work.”
Speaking about Priyanka Chopra's early years in the industry, she said, “Both, she (Priyanka) and I were new to the film industry and the beauty industry. So, it was like one blind man leading another blind man. I had studied law and knew finance. So, I used to oversee her legal matters even though she had good lawyers. I also overlooked her finances because I had knowledge. I had to be with her everywhere, be it narrations or meetings.”
She also added that Priyanka Chopra lost several roles for standing her ground and not agreeing to certain scenes. “One day we decided that she will not have any meetings, she will not go out anywhere, she will not fraternise after 7-7.30 in the evening. She stood firm on this decision. She did not do what she was not comfortable with and did not overstep the boundaries she set for herself. She lost many films because she refused to do some scenes which she thought were not worth it," she said.
You can watch the full interaction here:
Madhu Chopra's revelations come days after Priyanka Chopra's candid confessions about being "cornered" in Bollywood. Speaking to Dax Shepard on the podcast Armchair Expert, Priyanka Chopra said that she was sharing the reason behind her deciding to work in the US for the very first time. During the course of the podcast, Dax Shepard asked: “So how do you decide you want to even put yourself through that? Why'd you decide to put yourself through that and then what was it?” To this, Priyanka said, “I've never said this so I'm going to say it because you'll make me feel safe.”
Speaking about the circumstances around her move to Hollywood, she revealed: “I was being pushed into a corner in the industry (Bollywood). I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break." Then, Anjula Acharia of Desi Hits – who is currently Priyanka Chopra's manager – saw her in a video and contacted the star. Anjali asked if the actress would be interested in a music career in the US. The actress said that the offer came at a time when she was looking for options outside Bollywood.
Priyanka Chopra added, “This music thing gave me an opportunity to go into another part of the world, not crave for the movies I didn't want to get but I would require to schmooze certain clubs and cliques of people. It would require groveling and I had worked a long time by then so I didn't feel like I wanted to do it.”
On the work front, Priyanka Chopra will be seen next in Citadel, Love Again, and Jee Le Zaraa.