Priyanka Chopra
| Chopra at the Filmfare Magazine launch in Mumbai, October 2008 | ||||
| Born | 18 July 1982 Jamshedpur, Jharkand, India | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian | |||
Actress Priyanka Chopra, or 'Piggy Chops' as she is known by friends in the industry turned an year older today. The former beauty pageant winner, who has just returned to the city after a trip to the US however joined the Bollywood bandwagon who have decided to tone down on celebrations in wake of the serial blasts. So instead of a party, Priyanka has apparently decided on a quiet dinner with people 'who matter the most'.
The pretty actress, whose birthday guest wish-list comprises of Charlie Sheen, Lady GaGa and the late poet Rumi is also quoted to have said in a mock-stern tone, "It's unacceptable for friends to forget my birthday and there is a heavy price to pay to make it up to me!"
The pretty actress, whose birthday guest wish-list comprises of Charlie Sheen, Lady GaGa and the late poet Rumi is also quoted to have said in a mock-stern tone, "It's unacceptable for friends to forget my birthday and there is a heavy price to pay to make it up to me!"
Early life and background
Chopra was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand to Ashok Chopra and Madhu Akhauri, both physicians by profession. Chopra spent her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Newton, Massachusetts; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her father was in the army and thus her family moved quite frequently. Her father hailed from a family of Punjabi origin, settled in Bareilly and her mother comes from a family settled in Jamshedpur. She also has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years younger than she is.Chopra studied at La Martiniere Girls' School in Lucknow as a young girl. She subsequently re-located to the U.S. where she studied in Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts and then in John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She returned to India and finished her high school at Army School in Bareilly. She began college at Jai Hind College in Mumbai, but left after winning the Miss World pageant.
Miss World
Chopra's mother sent in pictures of her for the Miss India contest. When she got called to participate, she was surprised and did it mainly to take a break from studying.] She came in second place at the Femina Miss IndiaMiss World 2000 In the same year, Lara Dutta and Dia irza, both also from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns respectively, in a rare triple victory for one country. When Chopra won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian woman to win the title, and the fourth Indian woman to win in a span of seven years. 2000 competition, winning the Femina Miss India World title. She was subsequently sent to the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned
Acting career
[edit] Debut and breakthrough (2002–03)
Chopra made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan playing the role of Priya, the love interest of the protaginist in the film played by Vijay. The film was praised for its wit, although the depth of Chopra's character was seen as lacking. Chopra also sang playback in the film, singing "Ullathai Killadhe" along with Vijay. In 2003, she appeared in her first Bollywood film, opposite Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in the Anil Sharma film The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. She played a supporting role as a doctor named Shaheen in the film that The New York Times described as "ripping its text from the seething border tensions between India and Pakistan, spicing its conflict with hot-tempered religious zealots bent on nuclear havoc".[14] Despite being one of the highest grossing films of that year, the overall film was not well received by criticChopra was awarded mostly good reviews for her debut Hindi performance.[16] Later that year she appeared in Raj Kanwar's Andaaz, playing the character of Jiya who falls in love with Raj Malhotra, played by Akshay Kumar. The film was a success at the box office, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Rediff.com said of her role, "Priyanka Chopra alone clicks with the audience, thanks to her skimpy outfits."
Initial success and struggle phase (2004–08)
Her next few films released in 2004 Plan, Kismat and Asambhav performed poorly at the box office Later that year she appeared in David Dhawan's romantic comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi playing the role of a young fashion designer Rani along with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. The film turned out to be the third-highest grossing film of that year] She next starred in Abbas-Mustan's thriller Aitraaz. It was her first negative role and her performance was critically acclaimedShe earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award, becoming the second and last female actor to win the award after Kajol (the category has been retired since 2008). She also received a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for the role. Film critic Subhash K. Jha noted, "A star is born! As the predatory social-climbing seductress who can go to any length to satiate her lust for life, Priyanka Chopra rocks the scene like never before. The film is undoubtedly a triumph for Priyanka Chopra. With half a smile, a twitch of her lip and a movement of her eyebrow she seems to slip into her man-eater's role with captivating ease" In 2005, she starred in six films. Four of them, Blackmail, Karam, Yakeen and Barsaat failed to do well.[18] However, her performance in Yakeen[22] garnered good reviews from critics.
Fashion and recent work (2008–present)
After a series of flops, Chopra was cast in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion (2008) for the lead role of Meghna Mathur. Revolving around the fashion world through Chopra's role of an ambitious model, the film was a critical success. Her performance in the film was appreciated and earned her several awards for Best Actress including the National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best ActressSubhash K Jha said of her performance, "Her transformation from the bubbly Chandigarh girl to the super-ambitious supermodel, who dumps her boyfriend and conscience to pursue her dreams, is achieved with a gentle subtlety and bridled passion. This is Priyanka’s coming-of-age film. She looks like a zillion bucks. And acts like a woman who connects with the darkest, most desperate human emotions without wallowing in themChopra's final release of the year was Tarun Mansukhani's romantic comedy Dostana. The film was a moderate financial success.[Rajeev Masand wrote about her performance, "Priyanka Chopra, is at complete ease, slipping effortlessly into the role of the hottie-with-a-heart-of-gold; she looks smashing in this film, better than she's ever looked before.]
In 2009, she appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's caper thriller Kaminey alongside Shahid Kapoor, playing the role of a feisty Marathi girl named Sweety. Her performance in the film was described by critic Taran Adarsh as "first-rate", who further stated, "She's so much in sync with her character... [and] gets the Maharashtrian accent perfect".[She subsequently appeared in Ashutosh Gowariker's romantic comedy What's Your Raashee?, a film which made Chopra the first actress in cinema history to portray 12 distinct characters in one film] She was reportedly being considered for inclusion in the upcoming edition of Guinness World Records for this feat.[36] The film itself was a financial and critical failure,] but Chopra's performance in the film was appreciated by critics.[
In 2010, Chopra appeared in Jugal Hansraj's Pyaar Impossible where she portrayed the role of a college beauty who eventually falls in love with a geek. The film was a commercial and critical failure.] Her next release, Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani alongside Ranbir Kapoor, got a good initial response at the box office, but was not well-received by the critics.[
