Priyanka Chopra: People's Choice

Priyanka Chopra continues to win laurels abroad but she enjoys doing that unusual role back home too. Raghuvendra Singh chats with the global star.

- Raghuvendra Singh

She wowed the West with her super act as Alex Parrish, a terror suspect,in the hit American TV show Quantico. She even walked away with the People’s Choice Awards for that. To top that she was one of the presenters at 88th Academy Awards, the first Indian to be so honoured.

Back home too, she continues to make her presence felt. She’s been chosen for India’s third highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri. And before that her perky-turned-poignant act as Kashibai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic Bajirao Mastani, won her the Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actor (Female). And now as tough cop, Abha Mathur, in Prakash Jha’s Jai Gangaajal, it’s a dramatic switch for Priyanka Chopra.

From the bejeweled Kashi to the uniform donning Abha Mathur, the talented actor can straddle diverse roles with ease. She’s always been fascinated by uniforms as her father, the late Dr Ashok Chopra, was an army officer. Uncannily, her gait and bearing also changed when she slipped into the uniform during the shooting. “Every night, Dad would polish his shoes and I’d polish mine. For me, uniform means principles, values, discipline and that’s exactly what my character Abha Mathur stands for.”