Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; October 31, 2023)

“What I do not appreciate from co-stars is solo performances. I have known actors like that. They don’t wait for you to finish your line. They are just waiting to say theirs. An actor can’t tell me what to do, a director can. I don't like to get bullied. Don’t allow your co-stars to tell you that they are better than you.”

Priyanka Chopra’s masterclass at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 in Bhumi Pednekar’s words, “felt like therapy.” The latter graciously moderated the session, where Priyanka spoke about ambition, pride, persistence, what she stands for and what she won’t absolutely put up with.

The Bhumi-PC connect
The session opened with Bhumi sharing a personal story and her admiration for PC. She revealed, “Priyanka’s brother Siddharth and I studied in the same school. It was our annual day (2008-2009), and I was told that Priyanka Chopra was our Chief Guest. We were supposed to perform but as soon as I got on the stage, all I did was stare at PC for 10 minutes! I was this gawky teenager who had just seen her idol. The beauty of this is that I met Priyanka many years later, after my debut and she remembered.”

‘Don't let your pride get in the way of your ambition’
One of the most inspirational lines of the evening came when Priyanka spoke about her pursuit of good work and ambition. She shared, “There was a particular film that I really wanted to be a part of. I got my agents to call the filmmakers and offer to audition for the movie. I had to do 3 auditions for it, and I got the part. I am not afraid to pursue my dreams and my pride doesn't get in the way of my dreams ever. If you want something, don't let your pride get in the way of your ambition. Ego is the end of everything. Hard work, humility and persistence is all you need to be successful in any field. Come from a place of no pride and empathy. You only pull others down when you are insecure. Try to be a leader in your field and for that, you don't have to be on top of your game."

‘An actor can’t tell me what to do, a director can’
Stressing on the need for a work culture that is collaborative and based on respect for each other, Priyanka stating her views, says, “Cinema is a teamwork. Actors stand on the shoulders of 200 people. We get way too much importance. What I do not appreciate from co-stars is solo performances. I have known actors like that. They don’t wait for you to finish your line. They are just waiting to say theirs and the camera catches that. I have also known actors who tell you how to do a certain scene. If he/she is senior and makes sense, I will hear it out, but not from someone who just wants to bully. I won’t stand bullying. An actor can’t tell me what to do, a director can. Don’t allow co-stars to tell you that they are better than you. In these situations, I confront gently. Main gently ladhai karti hu. You must be respected as an individual. I don’t believe in hierarchy.

‘You can’t get consumed by public opinion…You need to shut down the noise’
In the digital age, social media can consume you and that’s not healthy according to PC. She said, “My job is a job. It’s not who I am. It’s not my existence. Social media is tough. You can’t get consumed by public opinion. It’s easy to troll but what’s viral is not true. You need to shut down the noise. If someone’s calling you useless, does that make you useless? It doesn’t. Let the naysayer say whatever they want to. Just be true to yourself, God, and your family. Just do the best you can and that takes away all the pressure. If you can stand up for what you believe in, you must. There are times when I can, and I have and there have been times when I can’t, and I haven’t. As a public person you are expected to have an opinion on everything and it's tough. You may or may not know enough about a particular subject to comment. It’s important to discern a moment, and that’s something I learnt in my 40’s. You learn to navigate your path. When it gets overwhelming, I shut down.”
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At a recent event in Mumbai, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas spoke about her early days in showbiz and the pressure that comes with doing ’women-centric’ films
HINDUSTAN TIMES (October 31, 2023)

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who has headlined films such as Fashion (2008), Saat Khoon Maaf (2011) and Mary Kom (2014), feels that a lot rides on the success of these ‘women-centric’ projects.

Speaking at a film festival in Mumbai on Sunday, the actor said, “There’s a lot of pressure when you have a female-led film because we have so few [of them]. Today, we are seeing successes of such films more and more, but that’s tough [to happen every time], the 41-year-old says, adding, “When a female-led film doesn’t do well, I feel the collective failure on behalf of all women, as if we have taken them a few steps back. I feel like this has to work because there are a few of us who get the opportunity to do this, and we have to do it well... You just think, ‘I won’t let womankind down because we have such few opportunities’.”

Citing the example of Fashion — a film that was appreciated by critics and audiences alike — Priyanka recalled that naysayers had advised her against doing a female-led film in the early stages of her career. The movie, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, turned 15 on Sunday.

“I was told ‘ladkiyan female-oriented films apne career ke end mein karti hain for National Award’. It was like, ‘You have just started, you have done Krrish (2006), Aitraaz (2004) and you are having your moment’. This was in the early 2000s,” she continued, “I liked the script [of Fashion]. We were working on it for six months; it was a passion project. We went to Goa, worked on the character graph of (her character) Meghna Mathur, her emotional and physical journey. All I focused on was immersing myself in this girl. I realised that you need to know your character like she is your best friend, before you walk on the set.”

Priyanka, who won a National Award for the film, went on to reveal that Fashion altered her viewpoint about acting and made her eager to join an acting school. “After this film, I was hungry to learn formal acting. I went to (actor) Naseeruddin Shah sir’s class, I trained for about 10 days with him. Then, I went to (actor) Pankaj Kapur sir, who was my neighbour. I was like, ‘Can you work with me on the script?’ At that time, I was going to do 7 Khoon Maaf with (filmmaker) Vishal Bhardwaj sir. He (Kapur) was like, ‘What work? Every answer you need is in your script. When you do a scene, think about how your character is feeling’.”

Currently based out of Los Angeles with husband, singer Nick Jonas and daughter Malti Marie, Priyanka also spoke about her hopes of building a diverse filmography in Hollywood. The actor, who has worked on projects like Quantico, Baywatch (2017) and The Matrix Resurrections (2021) in the West, shared, “There’s a variety of work that I have done in India, I haven’t achieved that in America. So, I want to expand that.”

‘FEELS LIKE A COLLECTIVE FAILURE WHEN FEMALE-LED FILMS DON’T DO WELL’