One of Bollywood's most talented and versatile actresses, Priyanka Chopra has come a long way in her career. She has not just proved her mettle as an actor but has also showed her vocal talent with her third single I Can't Make You Love Me.
One of Bollywood's most talented and versatile actresses, Priyanka Chopra has come a long way in her career. She has not just proved her mettle as an actor but has also showed her vocal talent with her third single I Can't Make You Love Me. If the posters of her upcoming biopic Mary Kom are anything to go by, the actress seems set to thrill audiences with her power-packed performance in the film.
Here's a pictorial look at her journey so far on her 32nd birthday.
Priyanka Chopra was born in Jamshedpur, Bihar to physician parents Dr Ashok and Madhu Chopra. Her father died after a long battle with cancer last year. She also has a younger brother Siddharth.
Priyanka's cousins Parineeti and Meera Chopra are also Bollywood actresses.
The daughter of an army officer, Priyanka had to change schools constantly. At 13, Priyanka moved to the US to study and lived with her aunt for three years. She eventually returned to India and completed the final year of her high school from Bareilly's Army Public School.
While in Bareilly, Priyanka won the May Queen beauty pageant organised by the army. There was no looking back after that and she went on to finish runner up at the Femina Miss India contest in 2000. She captured international attention when she became Miss World in 2000, the crown fetching her a one-way ticket to Bollywood.
Priyanka debuted in Bollywood with 2002's Hero: Love Story of a Spy opposite Sunny Deol. Riding high on Sunny Deol's previous blockbuster, Gadar--Ek Prem Katha, everybody expected the film to break records. Unfortunately for Priyanka and everybody else involved, the film was a colossal flop, sinking not only Sunny Deol's career for a while, but also Priyanka's chances of making it big. However, showing off her now characteristic resilience, she pulled through with her next film,Andaaz, which released the same year. The film was a hit, partly due to Priyanka's on-screen sizzle.
Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), her second pairing with Akshay Kumar (after Andaaz) and her first with Salman Khan, was a huge success.
She followed it up with yet another blockbuster, Aitraaz (2004), which bagged Priyanka two Filmfare nominations, one for Best Supporting Actress and the other for Best Villain, the latter of which she won. Only two years into her career and she was already an award-winning, A-list actress. Clearly, she was here to stay.
In 2005, Priyanka gave the audience a taste of her sensual side in Barsaat, where she played the eternal "other woman". Her golden run came to an end, though, since the movie flopped miserably. However, Priyanka's other films which released that year, Karam, Waqt: The Race Against Time and Bluffmaster, were, in ascending order, sizeable hits.
She opened 2006 with a special appearance in the John Abraham vehicle, Taxi No 9211, where her cutesy cameo in the end had critics raving. This was an insanely lucky year for her since two of her releases, Krrish, opposite Hrithik Roshan, and Don: The Chase Begins Again, were both blockbusters of the highest order. Her performance in both films was appreciated, especially in Don, where she took over the role originally played by Zeenat Aman.
The following year, Priyanka appeared opposite Salman Khan in Nikhil Advani's magnum opus Salaam-e-Ishq. This multi-star cast film, which had already created quite a buzz for its lilting music and star cast, was expected to rake in Karan Johar-type moolah. While the film was panned all over, Priyanka and Salman's story arc was considered one of the stronger ones. Her role, that of a superstar, did her justice, it seemed. Her only other release of 2007, Big Brother, once again opposite Sunny Deol, sank without a trace.
Priyanka kicked off 2008 with Harman Baweja's launch-vehicle, Love Story 2050, directed by daddy Baweja. Rumour had it that Harman and Priyanka were a couple and the film's promos, which promised a never-seen-before sci-fi spectacle, managed to snag a great opening. But that's about all that it managed to garner, since everything about the film from start to finish was declared a mis-step for Indian cinema. Even Priyanka Chopra's sexy double role couldn't fetch the required numbers.
Next came the long-delayed God Tussi Great Ho (2008), a blatant rip-off of Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty. The film's dated look, coupled with the fact that it just wasn't funny, proved to be its downfall, despite the fact that it was her third pairing with Salman Khan. Even Amitabh Bachchan's turn as God wasn't enough to save the film.
Then came Chamku (2008), her second role opposite Bobby Deol. The film, based on the Naxal violence, once again threw Priyanka's career into a shadow.
Drona, her next release in 2008, was supposed to take the superhero genre forward, but proved to be another step backwards for her. Priyanka played the titular character's female bodyguard, a role no one found convincing. Abhishek Bachchan's performance and Goldie Behl's direction were ripped apart in reviews.
And then, the slump repaired itself with a film called Fashion (2008). With Madhur Bhandarkar's gritty take on the world of glamour, Priyanka won her first National Award for Best Actress, as well as another Filmfare award, this time for Best Actress. Her performance, that of a small-town girl who makes it so big that she forgets her roots, was said to be the hallmark of an otherwise so-so film.
She ended the year with the Karan Johar-produced, Tarun Mansukhani-directed Dostana, opposite John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan and Bobby Deol. The film was a blockbuster for various reasons - the peppy soundtrack, the chemistry between John and Abhishek, Bobby Deol's surprisingly funny act. But more than anything it was Priyanka Chopra's extraordinary wardrobe. She wore tantalizingly little but never came across as cheap. Girls the nation over ooh-ed and aah-ed over Priyanka's fresh look inspired by the setting Miami.
Priyanka's next major release was Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey (2009), where she was paired opposite Shahid Kapoor. Her dressed-down look was complimented and very well received, as was her stellar performance, not to mention her electrifying chemistry with Shahid. In fact, the chemistry displayed itself off-screen as well when Shahid and Priyanka reportedly entered an unofficially-official relationship.
After Kaminey's stupendous success, she was seen in Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Rashee (2009), opposite ex-beau Harman Baweja. The film marked a record of sorts, since it had Priyanka play twelve roles, one for each house of the zodiac. Needless to say, with that kind of versatility, she earned some serious respect even as the film was called one of the worst in recent times.
With 2010's Anjaana Anjaani, she signed her first role opposite Ranbir Kapoor. The film was a flop despite an impressive soundtrack and snazzy trailers.
Priyanka kicked off 2011 with Vishal Bharadwaj's adaptation of Ruskin Bond's Susanna's Seven Husbands, called 7 Khoon Maaf. Priyanka played the role of Susanna, an enigmatic woman, 'wronged' seven times over by seven different men. To escape each man, she takes to the hatchet, moving on to another freak of nature almost immediately. It very effectively chronicled a slightly psychotic woman's journey through life, without once taking a stand on right or wrong.
In Don 2 (2011), Priyanka reprised her role as Roma opposite Shah Rukh Khan's Don.
In 2012, Priyanka's film Agneepath, in which she played Hrithik Roshan's love interest, broke Bollywood's highest opening-day record.
Her final release in 2012 Barfi! was a blockbuster and Priyanka received rave reviews for her performance as an autistic girl who falls in love with a hearing and speech impaired boy.
In 2012, Priyanka launched a musical career with her first single In My City, featuring will.i.am. She followed it up with Exotic, this time collaborating with rapper Pitbull. This year Priyanka released her third single I Can't Make You Love Me in which she is seen romancing Hollywood hunk Milo Ventimiglia.
In 2013, Priyanka did her first item number in the film Babli Badmaash Hai from the movie Shootout At Wadala.
In 2013, Priyanka was seen on the silver screen in Apoorva Lakhia's Zanjeer, Krrish 3 and Gunday. While action-thriller Gunday, which also co-starred Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor, entered Rs 100 crore club; Krrish 3 took Bollywood by storm and broke many records at the box office.
Priyanka recently posted a couple of posters of her upcoming maiden biopic Mary Kom. Going by the look of it, Priyanka looks set to ensnare audiences with her power-packed performance in the film. The actress will also be seen in Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do and as Kashibai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romance Bajirao Mastaani, which will also feature Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.
