It is interesting how most models who win big in beauty pageants make a very early pitstop in South cinema before finding their footing in Hindi cinema. One such marquee name was former Miss World and National Award-winning actor Priyanka Chopra. Soon after being crowned the winner of the pageant, Priyanka, who wasn’t looking at a career in cinema, was somehow coerced into acting, and she made her debut with the 2002 Tamil film, Thamizhan, headlined by Vijay.
Talking to Lehren Retro about how she received the opportunity, Priyanka’s mother, Madhu Chopra said, “She actually said no to the project, but they somehow reached her brother, who then called up her father, and said, let her just give it a shot in the Summer holidays for two months. It took a lot of convincing, but her father had given his word, and she did it for him.”
Making note of how this was a big project to debut with, considering the stature of Vijay, Madhu said, “She really has a lot of respect for Vijay because he was really patient with her. Raju Sundaram, Prabhu Deva’s brother, was the choreographer, and the steps were tough. Vijay is a professional dancer, and it was tough to keep up. In fact, it was hard to learn the new language, speak the dialogues, and dance.” However, Madhu pointed out that over the course of the shooting, Priyanka got used to it, and also became good friends with Vijay.
In fact, she pointed out how Priyanka Chopra used to get scolded for not getting a few things right. “So, we told them not to waste any reels, and just let her practice in the evening in the room, and that’s how she got the lines and moves right. And then, people started appreciating her, and slowly, Priyanka started enjoying acting.”
Incidentally, this was the only Tamil film Priyanka ever acted in, and in fact, she had since restricted her presence to only Hindi cinema, and later English films. Now, she is set to make her return to the South with the much-anticipated Mahesh Babu film, directed by SS Rajamouli. This project, tentatively titled SSMB 29, will be her Telugu debut.