Profile: Nerves of Steel

On most counts, Priyanka Chopra is India’s most successful female actor just now. Her amazing versatility and finesse have taken her from Bollywood superstar to a globally-known actor, thanks to her breakthrough role in the popular American serial, Quantico, and her stint as a singer with two singles to her credit. No wonder she exudes self confidence.

Over the past year alone Priyanka’s stars have soared in what can only be considered the stuff of dreams by anyone else.

How many 33-year-olds do we know who have deserved the kind of recognition in entertainment that she has garnered? For starters there was the People’s Choice Award 2016, for Favourite Actress in a New TV Series. We were just about getting used to having her face gaze out at us from billboards and in subways in the United States when she had us sit up again, becoming the first ever Indian to be invited to present an award at the prestigious Academy Awards. And oh, did we forget to mention that she was also awarded a Padma Shri this year? How much more charmed can a woman’s life get?

A Ridiculed Target
And yet, this gorgeous, intense, intelligent woman recalls a time in her teens when she moved to the US, living with her aunt to further her education. The then painfully gawky girl became the butt of ridicule and racist jibes at school where they made fun of her looks and taunted her for being an alien outsider, driving her to tears. Only, they didn’t see the nerves of steel under the dusky skin that they sneered at. “I hated being weak, driven to tears and made to feel inadequate and I swore then that I would never again be in a position where anybody could make me feel I was not good enough,” she said, her voice crackling with energy and unwavering self-confidence.

In the years since, has she kept the promise she made to herself. They made fun of her dark skin back then but today the world swoons over her exotic, sultry looks. They had made fun of her legs long ago and today those legs endorse dozens of brands. They laughed when she cried then but the woman she has metamorphosed into is unshakeable. The small-town girl raised in protected army cantonments is today a sassy woman who is comfortable relocating to a distant part of the world where she chases her dreams. And like fish to water, she has taken to high-profile international red carpets, rubbing shoulders with global icons.

In place of the young woman who struggled to build up her career in Bollywood is a woman who constantly pushes the boundaries to reinvent herself.

The Next Challenge
Most recently, she has taken the plunge into production in India. “It was often a scary and lonely journey making my way up in the film industry without a mentor or friend. With my production house, I hope to ease that pain for other talented people who want to make it here but don’t know how.”

It’s True that Struggle Strengthens
“No one owes you anything. You alone can look after yourself and make or break what you are. Over the years, I have worked on myself continuously and it gives me joy that I can now be of help to my family and the people whose films I work in. I want to be the best version of myself that I can be.”

Speaking Out
The journey has not been without the occasional stumble or hiccup. The vivacious actor is often out-spoken on a range of issues from the protection of the girl child to the lack of gender parity in fees for actors. “Of course, it has gotten me into trouble. Not just in India but all over the world a lot of people don’t like thinking women who make their own decisions. We are told how to walk, talk, dress and even eat. But I was raised by my parents to be independent, have opinions of my own and stand by those opinions. I say things as I feel and I don’t really care if people judge me for it. It is my life and I live it on my terms. The only people I owe an explanation to are my fans and my loved ones, who are my support system…”

Fruits of Labour
Success is kissing her feet and she is thrilled. “I have worked very hard to get where I am today. I am fiercely and unapologetically ambitious and it maddens me that ambition in a woman is disdained. My ambition is to leave a legacy of being a great entertainer. I set out to be an engineer but ended up becoming an actor. I have no roadmap, no grand strategy: but what I do have is the willingness to work tirelessly till I become the best entertainer I know because I love with what I do,” she says.

“Embrace yourself,” Priyanka tells other women, “All your flaws included. Understand your strength and play to them. At 33, I know that when life closes one door it opens many others and we need to recognise those opportunities, grab them and do our best. Stand straight, hold your head high, chin up and the world will always respect you.”