Sunday April 5, 2009
Priyanka makes her mark in Asia
By ANN MARIE CHANDY
For the beauty queen-turned-actress, the world is truly at her feet, now that she’s been bestowed a prestigious award in recognition of her work.
PRIYANKA Chopra cut a striking figure at the Third Annual Asian Film Awards (AFA) in Hong Kong on March 23. Dressed in a white embroidered saree, the former Miss World looked resplendent as she received the Nielsen Box Office Award for outstanding contribution to Asian cinema.
Billed by Eric Mika – the publisher of The Hollywood Reporter and vice-president of the Nielsen Media and Entertainment Group – as “India’s No.1 female star”, the girl from Jamshedpur in the eastern state of Jharkhand is understandably elated over the accolade.
Priyanka Chopra “It felt fantastic!” Priyanka enthuses via an e-mail interview last week. “I have only been in the Indian film industry for about five years now and so it was a huge surprise and deep honour to receive this trophy.”
Priyanka became only the second recipient of the award after Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau who won the inaugural edition in 2007. She notes that this is her first international award (not counting her Miss World title, of course).
“It’s definitely an encouragement for me as an actor to perform better. It was a proud moment for me to represent India at the AFA, and I was very excited to see that four other hugely talented fellow Indians were also nominated in different categories at the AFA,” she says, referencing her peers, Akshay Kumar who was nominated for best actor (Singh is Kinng), Deepika Padukone (best actress, Chandni Chowk to China), Nitin Chandrakant Desai (best production design, Jodhaa Akbar) and A.R. Rahman (best composer, Jodhaa Akbar).
With more than a few productions already announced or in production for the next two years, Priyanka appears to be in a golden period of her acting career, hence the recognition for her contribution towards Asian film.
The 26-year-old daughter of doctors has already garnered quite a few accolades and hit a box-office high last year with two blockbusters – Karan Johar’s Dostana and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, for which she picked up the best actress statuette at the Filmfare Awards. (The Filmfare Awards is one of the oldest and most prominent events that honours Hindi films in India and has been around since 1954, thus this is no small feat.)
“Each award has a special place in my home and in my heart!” Priyanka shares. “Awards mean a lot to me as they are a recognition of your work and winning awards has always encouraged me to do better.
“My Miss India crown is the one I cherish the most because winning that title was the beginning of it all for me, and it is the foundation of where I stand today.”
For Priyanka, being crowned Miss World in 2000 didn’t just propel her to fame (she was the fifth Indian woman to claim the title). “At 17, to win a pageant at an international forum was a huge achievement,” she says. “The pageant also created a platform for me and gave me the confidence that the world was my oyster and I could be whatever I wanted to be.”
Priyanka chose film. And what a ride it has been for her thus far.
The pouty-lipped, raven-haired beauty made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan before moving on to her first Bollywood flick in 2003, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. A string of offers came after that.
For Priyanka, the highlights were the movies that changed the course of her career.
“It’s very difficult for me to narrow down the highlights, but I’d say they were my first (major) film Andaaz; Aitraaz (where she played a villain); and most recently Fashion in which I had a difficult role, but it was one that has been widely appreciated.”
Priyanka – who’s been rumoured to be currently dating actor Shahid Kapoor – has kept herself busy filming and up next on the actress’ schedule are Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey (which also stars Shahid) and Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Rashee?.
In What’s Your Rashee?, Priyanka plays 12 different characters in what is believed to be a first for a female actor in Bollywood. The movie is based on US-based Gujarati writer Madhu Rye’s novel Kimball Ravenswood and also stars Harman Baweja.
“It’s a very challenging film for me,” she admits. “We have already shot large portions of the film and I can say with certainty that it has been a fabulously unique experience,” Priyanka says, adding that it’s been a very enriching experience working with “Ashu Sir”.
Priyanka reveals that she goes for roles which she would like to watch as a moviegoer, and raves about her working experiences so far.
“I have enjoyed every single collaboration be it with the director, actor or technician!” she gushes. “I entered the film business as an outsider and everything I have learnt has been through my personal experience. Every film is special to me.”
She finds her job demanding but assures that making it big in Bollywood is no different from anywhere else.
“I think it’s the same challenges that apply to every actor in the business. Not everyone understands how tough our jobs can be. Being able to give 100% to your job, day after day, irrespective of what’s happening around you, dealing with demanding, punishing schedules, coping with the pressures of being in the spotlight are some of the challenges that I face.”
When it comes to balancing the modelling and acting careers, however, it’s the latter that dominates her life.
“I’ve actually only modelled for about four months. Whereas with acting, I’ve been doing that for over five years now.”
Because her father worked in the army, Priyanka spent much of her childhood living in different places including Uttar Pradesh in northern India as well as in the United States in Newton (Massachusetts) and Cedar Rapids (Iowa). This cross-continental lifestyle, she maintains, has nothing to do with her celebrity status today, but concedes that it has definitely rounded her personality and given her a larger perspective on life and the world around her.
And so, after the Nielsen award, what can audiences now expect from the star?
“Movies, movies and more movies!” comes the reply.
Watch Priyanka Chopra receive the Nielsen Box Office Award at the Third Asian Film Awards on Star World (Astro Channel 711) at 8pm today.
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