Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; February 19, 2014)

Priyanka Chopra, who played Nandita — a Calcutta-based cabaret dancer from the 80’s — in Gunday, has been applauded for her finely-nuanced performance in the film.

She has set a new barometer for oomph on screen. And she has yet again consolidated her position as a powerhouse performer, tackling the various layers of her character Nandita. No wonder then that she's been flooded with praise from the industry. Her ability to stand out despite an ensemble star cast has brought her accolades.

Says her co-actor Arjun Kapoor, “Priyanka has been cast very aptly. I don’t know how to explain this, but both of us, Ranveer Singh and I, were boys without her. We became men when we shared screen space with her. That’s a very important quality for a woman to have — she makes us feel like men.”

She is one of the few actresses to have achieved success in both critical and commercial space. On one hand, her films like Don 2, Agneepath, Barfi and Krissh 3 entered the 100-crore club. And, on the other, she earned critical acclaim for movies like Kaminey, 7 Khoon Maaf, Barfi and Fashion, for which she won a National Award as well.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar says, “She is a director’s actor. She asks the right questions on the set, operates with clarity and treats the film as more important than herself. This is what sets her apart.” PC’s next, Mary Kom, is keenly awaited.

A trade source explains, “Considering the business four of her films have done in the last two years, she is one of the most commercially reliable stars in Bollywood.” 

On her part, the actress maintains, “I love what I do and am very thankful to be given the opportunity to be a part of all kinds of cinema.” Priyanka was recently conferred the title of ‘The Actress of the Decade’, at the India Leadership Conclave and Indian Affairs Business Leadership Awards 2013. She was also adjudged India’s Most Powerful Celebrity – Female, by Femina magazine, courtesy the fact that she grabs eyeballs in every avatar she dons. Apart from being the National Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, the actress joined the likes of Michael Jordan, U2 front man Bono, football star Zinedine Zidane and tennis veteran Rafael Nadal as a face of UNICEF’s My World Campaign — the first United Nations global survey for a better world. She is also a Champion for the UN Girl Up Foundation.