Priyanka Chopra: The rise of the Globalstar

“There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.”
– Matra Yoga Mag

From being the Miss World to Bollywood success to Global Superstar. Priyanka’s story is the testimony of unbridled ambition. It’s been a while she has not done any project in India but her popularity continues with her active and exquisite social media presence, she makes sure she connects with her Indian fans. With her recent stunning wedding pictures and the launch of her two new business ventures in India. I have been curious about what went into the making of brand Priyanka Chopra. She is magnificent, powerful yet relatable. I am delighted I chose to start this year, 2019, with this incredible book on this extraordinary Global Superstar by Aseem Chhabra.

So, Why would a successful Bollywood star, at the peak of her career, take a huge risk and start all over again? Probably, in order to be successful, you need to take risks, challenge yourself constantly, not get too comfortable and be in a state of constant movement. The author writes, that she will never admit her driving force to make her move to Hollywood but here’s what Karan Johar has to say, ” Like everybody else in the business, she is ambitious and has a desire to do great work. But I always thought that there was a bit of Priyanka that she felt she deserved much more and didn’t get as much as she can.” This statement suggests that she wanted to challenge her herself and broaden her horizons.

Early Years

In this book, Sameer Chhabra beautifully covers Priyanka’s journey from a small town girl to a global superstar. But, most importantly, the book is filled with many anecdotes and revelations that give some idea of her personality traits. Chopra was born to Doctor parents and raised in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. She was a meritorious student who went to the USA to meet her cousins and passed an aptitude test and got admitted to the same school. She was fascinated by the fact that students do not have to wear uniforms and it was during this time. that she faced racism and bullying, and she didn’t succumb to that and rose from it. When she returned back to India, her mother sent her pictures to Femina Miss India and she got selected and her life changed forever.

Making of the Star

Priyanka was not the best, among the Miss India contestants but she was willing to be the best, and, that set her apart from the rest. She grew through the contest. She was never noticed, until the talent round, when she sang so well, that time the judges felt she will go a long way, and that she needs to be more confident. That’s when her grooming began. Here is an interesting anecdote that highlights Pee Cee’s determination. All the contestants were groomed by Sabira Merchant. They were made to read newspapers, magazines etc and made to work on their speech and diction. Priyanka went out of her way. She would follow Sabira everywhere asking multiple questions and constantly work on it. Bollywood Actress Dia Mirza was also a contestant and she says that how Priyanka worked really hard with a focused vision. This grooming helped her tremendously in her career. Soon, she was crowned Miss India and followed by winning Miss World which gave her a global exposure and subsequently her entry in Bollywood. In the initial years of her film career, she was known for her sex appeal and her talent was underrated. After some point, she chose to take up roles that highlight her acting skills. Every director has high regards for Priyanka for her ethics and professionalism. “Priyanka is an amazing actor… even if you give her a flawed character, she will find the humanity in it. That’s the way she is,” says Zoya Akhtar.

Global Superstar

PC’s popularity surged with Quantico and in 2016, she won the People’s Choice Award for Best Actress. Since then she has received a series of International recognition. However, building the brand Priyanka Chopra, launching her as a Pop Singer and gradually making her a household name in the US was a remarkable strategy by Anjula Acharya, who was looking for an artist with many dimension to be launched in the US. Priyanka had all the right potential and with the help of Anjula and her efforts lead to her phenomenal success. There were many interesting anecdotes shared in the book which covers her initial period in the US and how she managed to work in India and US simultaneously. Priyanka is also a Philanthropist and a goodwill ambassador at the UN, in this context, the author points out that she is still getting there. Due to the blunders made by her with her social engagements in the past, she needs a group of smart advisors who can guide her.

My Views

I am so overwhelmed and inspired after reading this incredible book. I am glad that I made a wise choice by starting 2019 with this amazing book. Here is a woman who is determined to take on the world. She works relentlessly, she wears many hats as an actor, singer, philanthropist, an entrepreneur. She is in the news and the tabloids in India and US. Priyanka has certainly opened gates to men and women to shatter the glass ceiling. There are so many recitals in the book that highlights Priyanka the person. People from film fraternity talk about how she makes people feel special and how she works hard than anyone else. This book is well-researched and full of stories that give the readers an insight of her personality traits. What fascinated me the most in this book is the importance of having an open mind. Priyanka is constantly exploring. She is supremely intelligent and that is what sets her apart. Her open mind and her willingness to push harder. Her story makes you hopeful that if you put our head heart and hands into it and learn and reinvent constantly anything is possible. I am eager to read her memoir Unfinished which will be released soon. I highly recommend this book to everyone because her story is so relatable. #HappyReading