Global icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who has enjoyed an illustrious career in the film industry, has often spoken out about the objectification she faced early in her career.
Now, the former Miss World is using her influence to advocate for better treatment of women in showbiz.
During her recent appearance at the Forbes Power Women’s Summit, she shared a disturbing experience from her teenage years involving a director who insisted on seeing her panties for a film role.
Recalling the incident, Priyanka said, “I was speaking to the director and asked him to discuss the costume requirements with my stylist. I was standing right next to him when he called my stylist and said, ‘Listen, people are going to come to the movies to watch her when she shows her panties. So her outfit needs to be really short so I can see her panties. You know those people sitting in the front rows? They should be able to see her panties.’ He repeated this four times. And it sounded even worse in Hindi—it wasn’t polite or subtle.”
The Citadel actor, who was just 19 at the time, was deeply disturbed by the incident. She confided in her mother, Madhu Chopra, that same night.
“I went home and told my mom, ‘I can’t look at his face. If that’s what he thinks of me, if that’s how small he sees me, there’s no room for growth here.’ I decided to walk away from the project and said, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t do this.’ To this day, I’ve never worked with him again. Whatever I choose to be will be my decision. How I want to be perceived will be my choice. Perception is reality, and my perception will define my identity,” she added.
On the professional front, Priyanka is preparing for her return to Indian cinema. She will star in S.S. Rajamouli’s upcoming untitled film alongside Mahesh Babu. The project is currently in the pre-production phase, with the script finalized.
In addition to her Bollywood comeback, Priyanka has a busy slate in Hollywood, including Citadel Season 2, Heads of State, and The Bluff.
