Priyanka has always championed the cause of gender equality in cinema, and at MAMI Mumbai film festival 2023, she made an interesting observation. Acknowledging that there has been a change in how people perceive female-led cinema today, she remembered how things were different in the 2000s.

Speaking about her much-acclaimed film Fashion (2008), she revealed, “I am glad the usage of the word ‘parallel cinema’ is slowly declining, and things have changed now. After Krrish (2006) and Aitraaz (2004) happened, which gave me a solid foundation, I started seeking work that could challenge me as an actor. Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion happened at that time.”

Sharing the kind of feedback that she got before agreeing to be a part of Fashion, for which she went on to win the National Award, PC said, “I remember I was told back then, ‘Ladkiya female-oriented films apne career ke end mein karti hai National Awards ke liye. You just did Aitraaz, tumhara career abhi shuru hua hai, why do you want to do Fashion?’ This was in early 2000. People were apprehensive about female-oriented cinema. I wanted to play interesting characters instead of just being a part of big films, and I loved the script of Fashion, so I went ahead with it. I have always loved the work of Sridevi ji and Madhuri Dixit ma’am. Girl crushes forever!”

She added, “When I was younger, I was called difficult and opinionated. I faced problems because I didn’t follow this, ‘iss line pe chalo’ rule. Main apni line banati hoon. I am not a trend-follower, I am a trendsetter. You learn to navigate eventually.”