In an upcoming Spotify episode, 'daddy's lil girl' Priyanka Chopra Jonas draws parallels between husband Nick Jonas, late father Ashok Chopra
MID-DAY (March 19, 2020)

Her backyard may home the fanciest cars available in the market, but Priyanka Chopra Jonas was taught as early as in her teens that even without the accessories, she was among the privileged. "[I grew up in] India, where people are desensitised to poverty. And so was I, until my parents [made me aware]. In their hospital, there were always two beds that were [available], free of cost, for anyone who [needed] to come. My parents would go to villages to treat people who couldn't [travel]. And I'd go with them. I was taught [that I was] privileged; that though we may not have fancy cars, [I] was privileged because I had shelter, food, the [facility] to go to school, and parents who taught me that I have an opinion," Jonas told designer Diane von Furstenberg in Spotify's upcoming podcast, InCharge with DVF.

The 35-minute long episode has her spill details about those aspects of her life that led to the making of one among India's most successful crossover artistes. "I feel like there's a lot that I have to do in the US. I want my work to mean a lot more [than it does]. I don't think America has seen me do the [quantity] of work that I have [done] in India. That's something I'm striving for. I'm producing [projects], doing a movie for Universal with Mindy Kaling, and a reality show with Amazon, which Nick and I are producing." The Amazon show is inspired by Chopra's big, fat Indian wedding, which had sufficient fodder for the making of a show that could interest viewers in the West. However, it is the onset of her relationship with Jonas that tugs at heartstrings.

"He slid into my DMs and messaged me on Twitter," she says of their introduction. "A co-actor of mine had worked with him before. He texted me and said we should meet. It took us three years to go on a date, and we were engaged two months later."

Chopra can draw several parallels between her late father and her musician-husband. "He feels empowered when he sees me empowered. He'll stand on the side when [lensmen] take [my] pictures [on the red carpet]. He loves [my success]," she says, adding, "They say if you're close to your dad, you end up marrying someone who is like [him]. And Nick is. He's thoughtful, conscientious, and kind. I feel like I ended up marrying a version of [my dad]."