Agent Provocateur

How Priyanka Chopra is redefining the way Indian actors are seen on the global stage

- Aneesha Baig

I MANAGE TO PIN DOWN PRIYANKA CHOPRA during one of the few windows she has free these days: When she’s driving to work. Though the tinny call is punctuated with asides, the occasional clatter, and the toot of a stray horn, what comes through loud and clear are the peals of laughter (you’ll see) and her self-assurance.

It’s been a year, a long one, since I last spoke to her, and a lot has happened in that time. So what was my measured, well-thought-out response to all of it as a seasoned journalist? Pretty much: Holy shit, look at you! Happily she chose not to hold that against me, and responded with a, “Right? Right?” She knows how far she’s come.

The last time I met the star, now known across the world as Alex Parrish, the first trailer of Quantico had just come out and she was nervous and excited and thrilled all at the same time. It’s well over a year later and she now sounds exhausted and exhilarated and energised. In this seminal year, she’s had a hit show that’s premiering its second season this month and is visible in over 200 territories; signed and shot for her first Hollywood movie (Baywatch); made it to Time magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential in the World; presented at the Oscars (dazzled at the Oscars); won a People’s Choice Award; attended the White House Press Association Dinner; done 13 covers (she tweets the 14 th as we talk!); and I’m sure there’s still some things I forgot to include.