Over the past decade, Jonas has established herself as one of India’s most recognisable global stars. Her international career gained major momentum with the American thriller-drama series Quantico, which ran from 2015 to 2018 and quickly turned her into a familiar face for audiences around the world.
At the height of Quantico’s popularity, Priyanka continued to work in Hindi cinema and returned to Bollywood with Prakash Jha’s in 2016. The film’s music was composed by brothers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant, and composer Salim recently recalled an interesting incident from the film’s promotional period involving Priyanka and celebrated playback singer Sukhwinder Singh.
© Instagram/Sukhwinder Singh
When Sukhwinder Singh Left Venue After Priyanka Chopra’s Exit
During a recent conversation with Prakhar Gupta, Salim revealed that was performing at an event when Priyanka arrived after the singer had already begun his performance. As soon as the actor entered, however, the attention of the media and those present shifted towards her, largely because of her growing international popularity following the success of Quantico.
Salim explained that while the attention naturally gravitated towards Priyanka, the sudden shift left Sukhwinder feeling uncomfortable and hurt. He recalled, “Sukhwinder Singh was performing during the event. Priyanka’s Quantico was continuing its hit run at that time. She arrived a bit late for the event. Sukhwinder was singing, but suddenly, the focus shifted towards her.”
© Instagram/Priyanka Chopra
Acknowledging that the reaction was understandable given Priyanka’s status at the time, Salim added, “I mean, it’s natural that the media and others turned towards her. She was the star of the film; there’s no doubt about it. And she had just returned from the US after Quantico’s massive success.”
However, the composer said the situation affected Sukhwinder deeply. According to Salim, the singer eventually left the venue midway through the event because he felt overlooked. “But Sukhwinder felt so bad and awkward, and he left the venue. He was very sad. So, I accompanied him, and we went and had tea at my studio,” he recalled.
About Jai Gangaajal
Jai Gangaajal featured an ensemble cast that included Prakash Jha, Kiran Karmarkar, Manav Kaul, Ninad Kamat and Murali Sharma in prominent roles alongside Priyanka Chopra. The 2016 crime drama registered a moderate theatrical run, earning approximately ₹49.60 crore worldwide against a reported production budget of ₹33 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.
The film also marked a continuation of Prakash Jha’s acclaimed crime-drama universe, serving as a spiritual sequel to his 2003 film Gangaajal, which starred Ajay Devgn in the lead. While the follow-up shifted the focus to Priyanka Chopra’s character, it retained Jha’s exploration of crime, corruption and the challenges within the police and political system.