Although she has often credited Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, as her hometown, it was Mumbai that gave Priyanka Chopra a life in the entertainment industry. The global icon’s mother Madhu Chopra recently took a trip down memory lane and opened up about their early days in Bollywood’s capital city, where Priyanka also met for the first time Tamanna Dutt, who would later become her best friend. She also spoke about Priyanka’s initial films, and her camaraderie with Vijay.
Recalling Priyanka’s debut film, the Tamil action drama Thamizhan (2002), in which she starred opposite “Thalapathy” Vijay, Madhu shared that the Tamil star instilled confidence in the then 19-year-old actor. She shared with Pinkvilla, “Vijay is a very good person. Priyanka was initially intimidated by him; even I was nervous about how such a young girl would act alongside such a big star. But he was very kind to her. Vijay was her first mentor; he never let her lose her confidence.” She recalled further, “He was an excellent dancer and the movie’s choreography was handled by Prabhu Deva’s brother Raju Sundaram. Therefore, the steps were difficult; it wasn’t all fun and games. But she was very well looked after.”