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How Mimmi from Bareilly turned into a global icon
Priyanka Chopra was as far removed from the world of glitz and glamor as circumstances could allow.
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Priyanka Chopra has blazed a new way for Indian actors / ImageCourtesy: @priyankachopra/Instagram
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is one of the few Bollywood actors who can claim to have built a repertoire in a whole different country, and a completely different industry after being a roaring success in her city.
To leave a cushioned life and expose yourself to judgment and struggle can never be an easy journey; here is her story from a ridiculed teen to a global sensation.
Conventionally, she did not have it all sorted out. She did not fit the traditional beauty standards. Chopra stayed in a small town called Bareilly with no prospect of reaching beyond her means. She came from an army background with both her parents practicing medicine. Effectively, Priyanka Chopra was as far removed from the world of glitz and glamor as circumstances could allow.
Yet, when the stars align, the magic is destined to happen. The dream was to go to the US, stay with her aunt Vilma, and live a better life in the first world country but she ended up losing her confidence and returning home defeated and dejected.
In an interview, Priyanka analyzed the situation beautifully saying, “I was a gawky kid, had low self-esteem, came from a modest middle-class background, had white marks on my legs. But I was damn hard working in America, I was trying not to be different. Right? I was trying to fit in and I wanted to be Invisible,” that is where one fails.
The more you adhere to who you are the more likely you are to be a success, Priyanka added. “When I went to India, I chose to be different I participated in elocutions and was applauded for being different and standing out in the crowd. It helped me build my confidence.”
Her confidence and her mother’s love were what pitched her forward to the first step that changed her life, and that of her family too. A few photographs and a beauty pageant were Priyanka Chopra’s first tryst with fame. What followed was a whirlwind. With movies like Aitraaz, Barfi, 7 Khoon Maaf, Fashion, and Bajirao Mastani, Mary Kom-Priyanka established herself as an actress to only leave it all and make a fresh start in Hollywood.
Ashok Chopra (Priyanka’s father) often said everyone fails, there is nothing to be afraid of failure. It is what you fail that defines you. The first time Priyanka Chopra decided to turn to acting, she was struggling to get it right. After being ridiculed by a cinematographer, she decided to go ahead and learn before she stood in front of the camera again.
That small decision made her a more confident actress and defined her path to success, “I like to go prepared no matter where I am going it might be the most trivial thing for others, but for me, I will go there knowing what I am getting into and what I will be wearing, what I will be doing and even how I will be looking et al.”
Not being a Nepo-kid was never a problem for Priyanka Chopra. Being a pageant winner and a gifted actress had taken care of any insecurities she might have had. But an incident found her on the wrong side of the Bollywood camps. And Priyanka suddenly saw all the offers drying and doors shutting right at the peak of her career.
At the age of 30, it was not an easy decision to abort and restart, but with her mother by her side, this daddy’s little girl made it happen embracing her exotic roots and stirring. A storm in America!
Priyanka Chopra’s message to all who tremble at the thought of turning a new leaf is ‘maintain your confidence.’ With Priyanka, these words are not just lip-service-it are something that she has taught herself after lots of thinking that she is not good enough, or even, pretty enough.
In India, Priyanka was often referred to as the dusky beauty or the black cat. Chopra has often called out the contrived beauty standards in India, criticizing words like dusky “What is dusky? We as Indians must stop having contrived beauty standards, given most Indians are brown and inherently, individualistic and beautiful”
As a child, Priyanka was often told by her mother, that no matter what, never give up your work for anything it is a knowledge that has helped Priyanka build an empire of her own. Her 30 million net worth did not come overnight. She has had to make some difficult decisions and give more than 150% to her work.
Even today, with little Malti Marie, Priyanka travels the corners of the world, doing her job with her child in tow, taking no breaks and certainly no shortcuts.
Speaking about financial independence on a global forum Priyanka said, “The more opportunities we create for each other, the more sisterhood will grow. Women should be financially independent… it does not matter who your father is or who your husband will be. You have to be responsible for your finances and be financially independent.”
Priyanka Chopra is not only the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for children’s rights, she has been nominated as the Woman of the Year by GQ and other international magazines quite simply she is the media’s favorite girl.
One of the most prominent observations from her co-stars has been that when Priyanka Chopra walks into a room, she owns it. So, when she fumbles, everyone is gracious enough to put their cameras down and let her know they have her back..
How did she make it happen? By believing she could do it. With that attitude and that, chutzpah this desi girl has won the world. Be it spreading the colors of Holi in America or backing her cousins because their Mimmi-didi is their Ms. Dependable, be it protecting her daughter MM with all her love or shrugging off trolls who condemn her marriage with a much younger man Priyanka Chopra can never be incognito and we love that!
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