Priyanka Chopra, who has built a successful career in both Indian and international cinema, once opened up about an aspect of Bollywood that she found particularly difficult to accept — what she described as the industry’s culture of pretence.
During an appearance on Simi Garewal’s popular chat show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal, Priyanka said she disliked dealing with people she considered “pretentious” and “fake”. She also acknowledged that, early in her career, she had herself begun behaving in ways that were unlike her real personality.
“I don’t like people who are pretentious, and most of them are. I mean, we do have intelligent people around, but there are so many people who are so fake, that’s something I just cannot stand,” Priyanka had said.
Reflecting on her own early years in the industry, she added, “I mean, I think even I was in the beginning, very very much. That is completely and entirely not what I am.”
Priyanka made her Bollywood debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003 and went on to establish herself as one of the industry’s leading actors with films including Andaaz (2003), Aitraaz (2004), Krrish (2006), Don (2006), Fashion (2008), Barfi! (2012), Mary Kom (2014) and Bajirao Mastani (2015).
She subsequently expanded her career internationally, appearing in projects including Citadel, The Bluff and Heads of State.
Priyanka is now set to return to Indian cinema with SS Rajamouli’s upcoming action-adventure film Varanasi. She will reportedly play Mandakini, a fierce historian, opposite Mahesh Babu, who plays protagonist Rudhra.
The film is expected to follow Rudhra and Mandakini on a globetrotting mission involving the protection of the holy city of Varanasi from an asteroid named Shambhavi.
