Was confident to talk about it now: Priyanka Chopra Jonas on being ‘cornered’ in Hindi film industry

PTI, Apr 3, 2023, 8:36 PM IST

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Mumbai: Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Monday said she decided to open up about her experience of being ”cornered” in the Hindi film industry as she was ”confident enough” to talk about that phase of her life now.

Chopra Jonas said she talked about ”the truth of my journey” on the podcast, hosted by Hollywood actors Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, when she was asked to look back at her life in India.

The actor, who is in the country to promote her upcoming Prime Video series ”Citadel”, was asked why she now chose to speak about the reasons that forced her to relocate to the US after so many years.

”First of all, when I was on the podcast I was asked about the journey of my life and I spoke about when I was young, I was 10, 15, 22, 30, 40-year-old. I was talking about the truth of my journey. Now, I was confident enough to talk about that phase of my life.

”Now where I am, I was ok enough to kind of articulate what I felt. I think I had a very tumultuous relationship with what occurred, then I forgave. I moved on a long time ago, and I made my peace with it. I think that’s why it was easy for me to talk about it in an open manner, in a safe space,” Chopra Jonas said in response to a question at the Asia-Pacific press conference of ”Citadel” here.

Last month, the 40-year-old actor revealed she decided to pursue a Hollywood career after spending almost two decades in Indian cinema as she had ”beef with people”.

”I was being pushed into a corner in the (Hindi film) industry. I had people not casting me for reasons. I had beef with people. I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break,” Chopra Jonas, who started her career in Los Angeles as a singer in 2012, told Shepard and Padman on their comedy podcast ”Armchair Expert”.

The National Award winner, whose Hindi film credits include ”Fashion”, ”Barfi!”, and ”Bajirao Mastani”, is now based out of Los Angeles. She is the first South Asian actor to headline an American network drama series through ABC’s thriller drama series ”Quantico” (2015), which marked her Hollywood debut.

Chopra Jonas then starred in her first Hollywood film, ”Baywatch” in 2017. She most recently starred in ”The Matrix: Resurrections” and will next be seen in ”Citadel”, opposite Richard Madden of ”Game of Thrones” fame.

In the Prime Video series, global spy agency Citadel has fallen, and its agents’ memories were wiped clean.

”Now the powerful syndicate Manticore is rising in the void. Can the Citadel agents recollect their past and summon the strength to fight back?” read the official synopsis of the show.

In the globe-trotting series, Chopra Jonas plays elite spy Nadia Sinh opposite Madden’s Mason Kane. The show also features Stanley Tucci as Bernard Orlick, and Lesley Manville as Dahlia Archer.

”Citadel” is produced by Amazon Studios and the Russo Brothers’ AGBO.

The first two episodes of ”Citadel” will premiere on Prime globally on April 28 in 40 languages.

It will act as the flagship show that will blend with local shows already under production in India and Italy, starring Matilda De Angelis, Varun Dhawan, and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, respectively.