She is an Indian actress and director who was born on July 18, 1982. She became famous when she won the Miss World 2000 pageant. Many people know her as one of India’s best-paid actors, and she has won many awards, including two National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards. The Indian government gave her the Padma Shri award in 2016, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 most important people in the world. Both Forbes and the BBC have also given her awards for her important work.

Chopra started working in Indian movies after she won the beauty contest. Her first movie was the Tamil film “Thamizhan” in 2002. Her first Bollywood movie was “The Hero: Love Story of a Spy” in 2003. Some of her best-known movies are “Andaaz” (2003), “Mujhse Shaadi Karogi” (2004), and the horror “Aitraaz” (2004). Her career took off when she got parts in hit movies like “Krrish” (2006) and “Don” (2006) and their follow-ups. The part she played in “Fashion” earned her a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

She kept doing great work in movies like “Kaminey” (2009), “7 Khoon Maaf” (2011), “Barfi!” (2012), “Mary Kom” (2014), “Dil Dhadakne Do” (2015), and “Bajirao Mastani” (2015). As Alex Parrish on the ABC melodrama “Quantico” from 2015 to 2018, she made history by becoming the first South Asian woman to lead an American network drama.

Chopra is an actress, but she also started Purple Pebble Pictures in 2015. She produced movies like “Ventilator” (2016) and “Paani” (2019), and she also stars in the drama “The Sky Is Pink” (2019). She also tried her hand at Hollywood with movies like “Baywatch” (2017), “Isn’t It Romantic” (2019), “The White Tiger” (2021), and “The Matrix Resurrections” (2021). She also played the lead role in the TV show “Citadel” (2023).

Chopra has broadened her interests by putting out music tracks, writing her autobiography called “Unfinished” (2021), and putting money into businesses in tech, haircare, restaurants, and home goods. She works hard for social issues like women’s and environmental rights, and since 2006, she’s been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. Nick Jonas is an American singer and actor who is married to Chopra. The couple has a daughter together. As the most-followed Indian star on Instagram, she stays very active there.

Early life

She was born on July 18, 1982, in Jamshedpur, Bihar, which is now in Jharkhand. Her parents, Ashok and Madhu Chopra, were both doctors in the Indian Army. There were two Hindu families in her family. Her father was from Ambala and was Punjabi, and her mother was from Jharkhand and was Bihari-Magahi. Madhu Chopra is the oldest daughter of Dr. Manohar Kishan Akhouri, who used to work for the Congress, and Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri, who used to be a member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly. Siddharth is Priyanka’s younger brother. She is also connected to Parineeti Chopra, Meera Chopra, and Mannara Chopra, all of whom are Bollywood actresses.

As Priyanka was growing up, she and her family moved around a lot because her parents had jobs in Delhi, Chandigarh, Ambala, Ladakh, Lucknow, Bareilly, and Pune, among other Indian places. She went to schools in Lucknow and Bareilly, such as La Martiniere Girls’ School and St. Maria Goretti College. Even though she had to move around a lot, Priyanka loved experiencing different cultures and making the most of her time, especially in places like Leh, where her father was stationed in the army. She moved to the United States to live with her aunt when she was 13. She went to school in Massachusetts and Iowa before going back to India to finish high school at the Army Public School in Bareilly.

Priyanka had to deal with racism and bullying as a teenager in the United States, but she never gave up. Along with acting in plays, she became more interested in Western classical music. Her mother pushed her to compete in the Femina Miss India pageant in 2000, where she won the title of Femina Miss India World. Later that same year, she also won the famous Miss World pageant. The first steps she took to work in the entertainment business were these wins. Priyanka overcame problems, like a surgery on her nose that made the bridge of her nose fall off, because she was determined and talented.

Acting career

Career beginnings and breakthrough (2002–2004)

Priyanka Chopra was supposed to debut in Abbas-Mustan’s “Humraaz” after winning Miss India World. The job failed due to scheduling and other obligations. She made her cinematic debut in 2002’s Tamil film “Thamizhan,” playing the main character’s love interest. Many loved the movie’s humor and language, but Chopra’s acting was underestimated.

Chopra made her Bollywood debut in 2003’s “The Hero: Love Story of a Spy,” directed by Anil Sharma. It stars Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta. This film on the Indian Army in Kashmir earned well at the box office but received mixed reviews. Derek Elley of Variety called her performance an excellent movie debut. Later same year, she appeared in Raj Kanwar’s successful film “Andaaz” alongside Akshay Kumar. Her role earned Chopra the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

Chopra’s 2004 debut albums were unsuccessful. Songs like “Plan,” “Kismat,” and “Asambhav” failed. She played spectacular roles that no one remembered around this time. However, “Mujhse Shaadi Karogi,” a hit love comedy starring Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, changed her luck.

At the end of 2004, Chopra acted in Abbas-Mustan’s “Aitraaz” with Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. The villain, Soniya Roy, played by Chopra, claims her boss is sexually assaulting her. The film was a commercial and critical success and a turning moment for Chopra. She was lauded and received the Filmfare Award for Best Negative Role. This role established her as a versatile actor.

Rise to prominence (2005–2006)

In 2005, Priyanka Chopra appeared in six films. Her first two albums, “Blackmail” and “Karam,” were commercial failures. Criticism said “Blackmail” was predictable and Chopra’s police commissioner’s wife character was uninteresting. But her “Karam” performance was praised for managing high drama. Later that year, she played Akshay Kumar’s wife in “Waqt: The Race Against Time”. Film grossed well and garnered excellent reviews.

In “Yakeen,” her next film with Arjun Rampal, Chopra played a protective lover. Chopra’s acting was lauded, but the film was mixed. Her next film was “Barsaat,” a romance with Bobby Deol and Bipasha Basu. It failed in India but succeeded elsewhere. She garnered mixed reviews for her film performance.

Late that year, she appeared in “Bluffmaster!” with Nana Patekar, Ritesh Deshmukh, and Bachchan. The film was successful, and Chopra played Simran Saxena effectively.

Chopra and Roshan featured in superhero flick “Krrish,” in 2006. Three other films with small roles preceded this. One of the year’s biggest hits in India and beyond. She appeared in “Aap Ki Khatir,” which fans and reviewers disliked.

Khan-starring action film “Don,” was Chopra’s penultimate 2006 film. People appreciated her portrayal of Roma, a woman seeking revenge for her brother’s death. The film was a smash and established Chopra as a versatile actor who doesn’t shy away from difficult roles.

Setbacks and resurgence (2007–2008)

Priyanka Chopra played two big parts in 2007. Nikhil Advani’s debut film, “Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love,” was a large-cast love comedy-drama. She played Kamini, an item girl who aspired to perform, opposite Salman Khan. Her comedic timing and Meena Kumari and Nargis impersonations were lauded. “Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love” and “Big Brother,” her next films, bombed.

Chopra and Baweja had two appearances in “Love Story 2050” in 2008. She tried to have fun with her co-star, but it wasn’t obvious. The Salman Khan-Amitabh Bachchan comedy “God Tussi Great Ho” included her. Her following two films, “Chamku” and “Drona,” bombed at the box office and with reviewers.

Chopra’s fortunes changed with “Fashion” that year. Chopra plays model-to-be Meghna Mathur in Madhur Bhandarkar’s India fashion film. She accepted the position and transformed her body to fit it after being apprehensive. She won the National Film Award and Filmfare Award for her talent. “Fashion” made Chopra a Bollywood star with its critical and financial success.

Experiment with unconventional roles (2009–2011)

In 2009, Priyanka Chopra played the fiery Marathi woman Sweety in Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Kaminey.” She got great reviews for the role. The movie did well at the box office, making ₹710 million around the world. She won and was nominated for a number of awards for her work, including a Producers Guild Film Award. Then Chopra played 12 different roles based on the zodiac signs in Ashutosh Gowariker’s “What’s Your Raashee?” It was too much for her health, but she kept working on movies like “Pyaar Impossible!” and “Anjaana Anjaani” in 2010. She got good reviews for her part in “7 Khoon Maaf” in 2011, and she played the same character again in “Don 2,” which helped the movie do well.

Further success (2012–2014)

Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan’s 2012 movie “Agneepath” was a big hit, making a total of ₹1.93 billion around the world. Her acting as Kaali Gawde was praised as outstanding. Chloe’s next movie, “Teri Meri Kahaani,” starred Shahid Kapoor and told three love stories set in different times. Later that same year, she played an autistic woman named Jhilmil Chatterjee in the movie “Barfi!” Chopra put a lot of research into her part and got good reviews for it. The movie made a huge amount of money—₹1.75 billion around the world. She did the role of Ishaani in “Planes” and was in “Zanjeer” and “Krrish 3” in 2013. “Krrish 3” was her biggest hit at the time.

Expansion into American film and television (2015–2019)

Priyanka Chopra played Ayesha Mehra in the 2015 movie “Dil Dhadakne Do,” which was about a dysfunctional family. She got compliments on how she did. In her first show on American TV, “Quantico,” Chopra became the first South Asian woman to lead an American network thriller. The show got good reviews, and she won two People’s Choice Awards for it. And in 2015, she played Kashibai in “Bajirao Mastani,” for which she won several awards. After that, Chopra had parts in “Jai Gangaajal” and “Baywatch.” She was in “Isn’t It Romantic” and “The Sky Is Pink” in 2019. For “The Sky Is Pink,” she was nominated for a Filmfare Award.

Streaming projects (2020–present)

In 2020, Priyanka Chopra Jonas made a big TV deal with Amazon Prime Video to support programming made by women and people of color who are making their first movies. Her role as Ms. Granada in Netflix’s “We Can Be Heroes” got good reviews. In 2021, she played the lead role in “The White Tiger,” which got her good reviews. The movie was up for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. She was also in “The Matrix Resurrections.” In 2023, she was the leader of Amazon Prime’s “Citadel,” and her work was praised. People didn’t like Chopra Jonas’s song “Love Again.” After that, she’ll be in the action movie “Heads of State” with John Cena and Idris Elba.

Music career

Priyanka Chopra’s father encouraged her to become a singer, which had an early impact on her work. Her director Vijay offered her first song, “Ullathai Killathe,” which was in the Tamil movie Thamizhan (2002) after seeing how good she was at singing on set. She turned down playback singing for “Tinka Tinka” in Karam (2005), but she sang it live on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa later. Chopra recorded a song for Bluffmaster! (2005), but it was never aired. In 2011, she got a recording contract with Universal Music Group. Interscope Records was going to put out her first album. People had mixed feelings about her first song, “In My City,” which featured will.i.am. However, it did very well in India. The next songs she released were “Exotic” with Pitbull and a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Even though she had early success, Chopra eventually stopped focusing on music because she wasn’t happy with the way her work was going.

Personal life

Because she lives on the same floor as her family, Priyanka Chopra is very close to them. She is very close to her late father because she has a tattoo of his writing that says “Daddy’s lil girl.” Even though she hasn’t worked in movies before, she thinks of herself as self-made thanks to her mother, a doctor who quit her job to help Chopra’s film career.

Chopra starts every day with a prayer at a shrine with Hindu gods and goddesses. She does this even when she’s traveling. She is known for being nice to the press, but she doesn’t talk about her personal life. In 2018, Chopra started dating Nick Jonas. That same year, they got engaged, and in December 2018, they had a big wedding that mixed Hindu and Christian customs. After she got married, she changed her name to “Priyanka Chopra Jonas.” Through surrogacy, they had their first child, a girl, in January 2022.

Awards and nominations

Priyanka Chopra has won a lot of awards over the course of her work. For her role in Fashion (2008), she got the National Film Award for Best Actress. She has also won five Filmfare Awards, including Best Female Debut for Andaaz (2003), Best Performance in a Negative Role for Aitraaz (2004), and Best Actress for Fashion (2008). She also won the Critics Award for Best Actress for her role in 7 Khoon Maaf (2011) and the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Bajirao Mastani (2015). Also, Chopra won two People’s Choice Awards for her work in Quantico. She was the first South Asian actor to do this. She was given the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2016 for her work in the arts, and in 2022, she was named one of the BBC 100 Women.