From being criticised for her skin tone and physique to headlining international blockbusters, Priyanka Chopra’s journey has been nothing short of remarkable. In the early days of her career, the actor was often judged for not fitting into conventional Bollywood beauty standards. But as time would prove, she wasn’t one to let societal labels define her future.Smita Jaykar recalls first impression of Priyanka ChopraVeteran actor Smita Jaykar, who worked with Priyanka in the 2004 film Kismat, recently opened up about her initial doubts about the young actor. Speaking to Filmymantra, Jaykar shared her honest reaction upon meeting Priyanka for the first time.“She was very thin, skinny, dark… She was introduced to me and Mohan Joshi as our daughter. When I saw her, I said, ‘Oh My God.’ She looked like nothing at that point of time. I thought, how do these people come to become a heroine,” Jaykar admitted.Smita Jaykar praises Priyanka Chopra’s evolutionDespite her initial judgment, Jaykar said Priyanka stunned everyone with her transformation and sheer talent.“Cut to… Priyanka Chopra was wow. I thought, what has this girl gone and done! She became a diva completely,” she said, adding, “You can’t judge somebody and say, ‘Yaar, yeh kisko leke aaye ho’. Kuch maaloom nahi kiski kismat kab badal jaaye. What an actress, fab!”Priyanka once revealed being called ‘black cat’ and ‘dusky’In an earlier interview with BBC, Priyanka herself had addressed the colourism she faced, saying she was subjected to body shaming because of her complexion.“I was called ‘black cat’, ‘dusky’… I thought I was not pretty enough,” she said. “Even though I thought I was probably a little bit more talented than my fellow actors who were lighter-skinned… I believed I’d have to work harder. It was so normalised, I thought it was right.”
Work frontOn the work front, Priyanka’s latest international release Heads of State premiered on Amazon Prime Video on July 2. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, the action-comedy features her as MI6 agent Noel Bisset, opposite Idris Elba and John Cena. The ensemble cast also includes Jack Quaid, Paddy Considine, and Carla Gugino.Meanwhile, Smita Jaykar is set to appear in the upcoming film Maa Lapataa and will reprise her role in season three of the popular web series Romeo.
