Priyanka Chopra has done some spectacular work in Bollywood in her career spanning over 15 years. It won’t be wrong to call Priyanka one of the most bankable stars in Bollywood, considering she carved a niche in the industry without a godfather backing her. The 34-year-old took the big leap and went on to become a sensation in Hollywood too. So much so that Marie Claire (USA April Edition) declared Priyanka Chopra as Hollywood’s Most Bankable Badass. Last year, even her Baywatch co-star, Dwayne Johnson, referred to her as ‘one of the biggest stars in the world.’
It’s amazing to see how, in less than two years, Priyanka has managed to conquer Hollywood and win hearts there. It’s possibly the first time that an Indian actor has been able to make a significant impact in the West and become one of the highest paid stars in the world.
Impressed with Priyanka’s career graph, trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “She has smartly chalked out her career because once you’re above 30, you know your chances are bleak in Bollywood and you are very selectively chosen for a particular role or a film. So when Priyanka crossed 30s, she started venturing out in Hollywood, did shows, cut albums and tried different things in the West and gradually she became stable. I’d say it was a very progressive and well planned career strategy.”
Clearly, the two-time People’s Choice award winner has left her contemporaries (back home) way behind. Not many would know that ever since PeeCee made it big on the global scene, she has been featured on as many as 17 international covers, including Time, Elle, Emmy, Instyle, Flaunt, Women’s Weekly , Flare and Marie Claire, among others. She’s appeared on almost all popular chat shows in America, including Ellen DeGeneras, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Watch What happens Live, Late Night With Seth Meyers, The Chelsea Handler Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Good Morning America, Live with Kelly, the Rachel Ray show, The Today Show and more.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels that Priyanka is striking the right balance between Bollywood and her international work. “More and more Bollywood actors are looking at expanding their horizons and I think Priyanka has done the wisest thing. She’s done a TV series (Quantico), a film (Baywatch) and has also come on a wide range of chat shows, so obviously people are taking notice of it.”
Interestingly, even roles are being rewritten for Priyanka. For instance, Victoria Leeds in Baywatch was initially written for a male lead. Also, since she is playing an anti-hero in Baywatch, PeeCee will have a special promotional campaign centered entirely around her. Reports also did the rounds in which Priyanka was compared to Angelina Jolie, as both went on record to state that they wanted to play the next Bond and not the “Bond Girl”!
“We all know that age is not a criterion in Hollywood and most top Hollywood heroines are doing lead roles and great acting even at the age of 50, so Priyanka has a bright future there. Also, filmmakers in the West see a very good opportunity in casting popular actors from Bollywood. They knew that Quantico wouldn’t have been as popular in India if it didn’t have Priyanka in it, so it’s a win-win situation for them as well . They’ve made their show popular in India and other countries as well,” adds Mohan.
On the style front too, Priyanka has left everyone awestruck. She’s been touted to be one of the best dressed stars in the world and has won titles such as Breakthrough Style Star at Instyle Awards and Best Dressed at the Billboard Music Awards 2016. Her look at the Oscars became the 7th Most Searched Oscar Red Carpet Dress on Google’s ‘Year in Search 2016’ list and she was voted one of the Best dressed at the recent Golden Globes too.
“I definitely see Priyanka as a global icon in the coming future. She is still taking baby steps but making the right moves. She is doing the best of the best work internationally and catching the eye of not just the international audience, but even Indians are getting aware of the fact that more and more people can have the courage to go and explore opportunities in Hollywood,” adds Adarsh.