In a recent interview, Priyanka Chopra's mother, Dr Madhu Chopra recalled the time when the actress was unsure about going for the Miss India pageant and how it ignited a lot of drama at their house.
Bollywood actress turned Hollywood diva, Priyanka Chopra enjoys a massive fan following worldwide as her journey in showbiz has been an inspiration for everyone. The actress started her career by entering a beauty pageant, Miss India, back in 2000, and since then, there has been no looking back for her. However, not everyone knows about the struggles and criticism that Priyanka had to go through to reach where she is today, as her mother, Dr Madhu Chopra stood by her like a pillar.
In a recent interview with Supriya Paul for the show, Phir Ziddi Hi Sahi, Priyanka Chopra's mother, Madhu Chopra opened up about the time when the actress had qualified for the Miss India pageant. Recollecting how her decision had ignited a lot of drama in their house, Madhu revealed her family asked her not to distract Priyanka from her studies as she was a good student. She said:
“Priyanka ko Miss India mein jaana tha, toh ghar mein hamara bawaal ho gaya. Ki yeh padhne mein itni achchi hain, why do you want to take her out off school, distractions kyu daal rhi ho iske mind mein?"
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Madhu further revealed that even Priyanka was in doubt back then, so she sat her down and told her to give it a shot. The doting mother told PeeCee that school is always there to return back to, but this opportunity might not come again in life. Recalling how she convinced Priyanka to go for the Miss India pageant, Madhu said:
"Toh maine bithaya, Priyanka bhi gabhra gayi ki main select toh ho gayi, toh she also was nervous… she said, “Mom, I don’t think I will be able to do that." Hum usko bithaye or bole, beta this is an opportunity very few girls get. It’s an opportunity. You want to grab it? Do something about it? Karlo. Warna wapis school to jana hi hai, woh kahi nahi gaya, hum log ghar pe hi hai. Tum school jaogi hi jaogi. But ye opportunity agar pass kar jao, nikal do, toh you never know if it will ever come back again."
Talking about how she boosted Priyanka's morale, her mother revealed that she always tells her that if she considered herself worth a quarter of a rupee, the world would consider her the same. So she suggested PeeCee to become a big person, and behave like one, and then the world would follow. In her words:
“Priyanka ko main ek hi phrase bolti thi, tum apne aap ko chavanni manogi, chavanni jaise behave karogi, toh duniya tumhe chavanni jaise treat karegi, apne aap ko rupaiya samjho, bada samjho, rupaiya jaisa behave karo… be proud. Toh duniya tumhe… perception ki baat hai."
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Back in 2000, after becoming the runner-up in the Miss India pageant, Priyanka Chopra was then crowned Miss World in the same year. The diva was just 18 years old back then. Soon after that, PeeCee made her Bollywood debut with the film, The Hero: Love Story Of A Spy, co-starring Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta. Ever since then, she has been winning our hearts with her acting spree and gaining more and more fandom with each passing day. For the unversed, Priyanka is married to popular singer, Nick Jonas and they are parents to a beautiful daughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas.
On the work front, Priyanka Chopra will be next seen in the web series, Citadel.
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