Priyanka Chopra On Balancing Bollywood And Hollywood As A Film Producer
Priyanka Chopra has smashed Bollywood stereotypes the Priyanka Chopra way. Right now, Priyanka Chopra is hot in Hollywood and she wants to keep it that way. So, last year Priyanka decided to try her hand as a producer. Chopra has high hopes that the film industry will welcome talent from all over the world regardless of language or cultural barriers.
One of Priyanka’s films has already won multiple awards. Priyanka’s Marathi production, Ventilator, won three awards at the 64th National Film Awards — in the Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Sound Mixing categories. Priyanka sat down in an interview with Hindustan Times and discussed her plans to make “bigger and better films” in the future.
When asked how she felt when her film Ventilator won an award, Chopra said it was similar to what she experienced as an actress when she won her first National Award for the movie Fashion in 2008.
“I remember at that time that I was shooting for Anjaana Anjaani in New York, and early in the morning, I was woken up with the news that I was getting the award. This time as well, my mother woke me up at five in the morning to break the news that we won three National Awards. It feels great, since it’s my first Marathi film as a producer and one of the first films that I have produced.”
Chopra said she has chosen to give up her life for her work because her achievements are great validation.
“My life is split between two continents. So, I am working in the U.S., and I’m also producing six films in India this year. I am trying to balance my time between both countries, and I don’t want to settle on one in particular. For me, either isn’t more important than the other. Both are facets of my journey as an actor, and, more than anything, as an entertainer.”
In an older interview with Anupama Chopra, the Bollywood actress gave a tour of her New York home and talked about her breakout role as Alex Parrish in the ABC primetime drama, Quantico. The Quantico actress gave a candid interview with Anupama of Beneath the Surface on YouTube.
Priyanka tells Anupama her clothes and dialect isn’t what makes her an Indian woman, she just “is.” Priyanka is pleased she can incorporate her Indian culture into Quantico by speaking Hindi.
Chopra has also officially joined the ranks of celebrities who have held the position as a Goodwill Ambassador, including Selena Gomez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Joel Madden, Pink, Lucy Liu, Alyssa Milano, and more. Dozens of celebrities walked across the blue carpet during UNICEF’s 70-year anniversary celebration.
The former pageant queen is currently named the eighth highest-paid actress by Forbes.
“We need to stand as a force to be reckoned with, because our industry is that. Our industry is one of the most prolific in the world and we need to not be afraid to stand our ground, on our feet and say, ‘I’m not settling.'”
In her native India, Chopra is starring in Bajirao Mastani and she’s in post production for the action flick Jai Gangaajal, a sequel to 2003’s Gangaajal. Complex magazine says with the American market and ABC behind her, she could have pitched an all-Indian sitcom similar to Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat.
“That’s exactly what I didn’t want to do. I was very sure I did not want to be the stereotype of what Indian people are seen as, which is Bollywood, and henna. That’s all great! It’s what we are, and I love it. I love saris; I love music; I love henna; I love dancing, but that’s not all we are.”
Breaking barriers in the entertainment industry is a crucial part of Priyanka’s mission.
“The Hindi film industry is a testament to that. We speak only Hindi, but we premiere in Germany and Japan. Our films do phenomenally well there. We transcend the barriers of language and culture. We welcome you in. I think that’s what art should be, and I hope America reaches that place.”
[Featured Image Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]
