Seventeen years after his first film, director Tarun Mansukhani has once again made a mark with the success of Housefull 5. His debut film, Dostana (2008), starring Priyanka Chopra, Abhishek Bachchan, and John Abraham, was produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions and remains a significant milestone in his career. In a recent interview, Mansukhani reminisced about filming the popular dance number ‘Desi Girl,’ which he considers a pivotal moment in Priyanka’s career. He recalled an early prediction he made about her future success.Memories of Priyanka Chopra’s iconic ‘Desi Girl’ song“I made her sit in the car, I put the CD on, and – I think she’ll be able to tell you this as well – before I played the song, I said to her: ‘No matter how big you become, no matter where you go in life, they will always refer to you as this.’ And I played the song. I knew from that moment that this girl was going to be beyond global. Because when I heard the song, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this girl… it is just her,’” Mansukhani shared with India Today. A deep and karmic friendship between Mansukhani and ChopraReflecting on their relationship, Mansukhani described their bond as ‘deep’ and ‘karmic,’ emphasizing that their friendship isn’t driven by professional motives. “We’re not on the phone every day. We talk very rarely – it’s mostly just chats or Instagram shares. But the connection we have is something that feels meant to be. I can call her up at any point in time and tell her my worst things or my best things without feeling judged – and I know it works the other way around too,” he explained.
Tarun Mansukhani claimed his bond with Priyanka Chopra is a rare one in the Hindi film industry which doesn’t operate on agenda. ‘We’ve never had a friendship that was about work. It was never, ‘Oh, we need to be friends because then we can work together.’ She might think I’m a good director. I think she’s the most fabulous actor. But that has never even for a moment entered our friendship. And that’s what makes it so pure. I truly love the relationship and friendship I share with her,” he added.Priyanka Chopra, who became widely known as ‘Desi Girl’ post Dostana, expanded her horizons with her international debut in the TV series Quantico, which aired for three seasons. She is now gearing up for Hollywood projects including Heads of State and The Bluff. Additionally, she will star in Season 2 of Russo Brothers’ spy thriller Citadel.
