Divya Kaushik (BOMBAY TIMES; August 9, 2018)

Speculations about her engagement with Nick Jonas may be rife but Priyanka Chopra is in no mood to divulge any details. The actress was in Delhi on Monday afternoon to be a part of FICCI Ladies Organisation’s (FLO) interactive session on ‘Challenging the Status Quo and Forging New Paths’. While she candidly spoke about her journey from Bollywood to Hollywood and how she has broken stereotypes, she made it clear that her personal life is not for “public consumption” and she does not feel the need to give explanation about her relationship. She said, “Ninety per cent of my life is for public consumption, but the remaining is not. My family, friendships, relationships are things I don’t need to defend or explain, I am not running for the Office.” As the actress mentioned ‘Office’, one of the panelists asked her if she had met Donald Trump. “No”, she replied, adding, “Doesn’t move my world if I meet or not meet him.”

‘I TOLD THE AMERICAN TV NETWORK NOT TO COME TO ME WITH A SHOW ‘MY BIG FAT PUNJABI WEDDING’, I WON’T DO IT’
The actress began her session by talking about how she landed a role in Quantico and said that she was always clear that she would never do a role that puts her in a box. To opt for an American television show after doing some 50 Bollywood films wasn’t an easy decision for her. “It was scary, but an organic experience. I was asked by my manager to make music with Jimmy Iovine and that’s how I went to America. People there responded to me in a very casual ‘you are my friend’ tone, so I felt I was relatable to them. When I went to parties like that of the Grammy’s, people asked me why I was not working in America and that made me think about it. The opportunity to be a part of television came to me at a party. The VP of casting at an American commercial broadcast television network asked if I would want to do TV. I told her that TV is a six-year commitment and that I have never done it before. She then flew down to India to talk to me,” said Priyanka.

The actress studied in a high school in America and always wondered why she would never see Indians or South Asians play mainstream roles. “Whenever you saw Indians on mainstream global entertainment platforms, you always saw them being put in a box – either they would be nerds or a big fat Punjabi family. Why should our ethnicity define the role that we play? The only thing I told the TV network was not to come to me with a show that showcases ‘my big fat Punjabi wedding’, I won’t do it. They came to me with 26 scripts and I chose to play an FBI agent who happened to be half-Indian,” said Priyanka. After she became a part of the show, there was a discussion if the name of her character should be changed. “I had an Indian assistant whose name was Jennifer, so I told the team that they were again stereotyping me. They had given me a character and it was my job now to convince the world that I am that person. Every Sunday, I had to convince America that I was an American.” What Priyanka liked the most about Alex Parrish was that “she was an unapologetic modern woman who lives her life on her own terms. She is extremely flawed, she is a loner and she uses people. Basically, she is playing a man and that’s awesome, as girls don’t get to play that.”

‘I DON’T REGRET DOING BAYWATCH’
Priyanka’s first Hollywood film with Dwayne Johnson might not have broken records, but the actress says that she doesn’t regret doing it. “I don’t know many actresses who have got a chance to play a character like that in a mainstream American movie. Reviews spoke very well of me. I don’t think it was a bad decision, my dad is not sitting in Hollywood saying ‘oh, let me make a film for you’. I have to choose from what I get as a new actor and I am building opportunities for myself. I thought going toe to toe with Dwayne Johnson, which most guys don’t end up doing, was great. The only thing I missed was not getting to wear the iconic swimsuit,” she said.