I DEALT WITH A LOT, AND CAME OUT THRIVING: PRIYANKA
Priyanka Chopra Jonas says sharing her life story in her memoir wasn’t easy as she’s a private person
From a young beauty queen, to a leading Bollywood heroine and now a global icon, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been making all the right noises. But she admits while life has not been that smooth a ride, she has always endeavoured to come out stronger.
“You have to keep moving forward, I believe. Life will constantly throw curveballs, you just have to face it head on. Sh*t happens, learn from it and find a way to move ahead because time doesn’t wait for anyone. You don’t want to wake up years later with regret. Accept that there will be periods in your life when you will fail, or things don’t go your way. It’s what you do after that… that will determine your journey,” shares Jonas, who has chronicled her life story in her recent memoir, Unfinished, which became a bestseller in the US, UK and India upon its release.
Talking about whether it is emotionally unnerving and a big ask to tell all, she replies, “Yes, it was, because at the core of it all, I am an intensely private person.”
But the 38-year-old, who is married to American singeractor Nick Jonas, says that as someone who lives her life in the limelight, “I accept that everything I do is public, but I have always tried to retain a part of my life and keep it away from the world. So opening up and sharing my deepest feelings, emotions and memories was unnerving but something I thought was time to do… on my own terms.”
The actor-producer says it was great to take a trip down memory lane for the book. “It’s been one hell of a ride! Today, I can say that I’m proud of the person I’ve evolved into. I dealt with a lot, and I came out thriving. I want little girls around the world to think about that. It doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what your circumstances are. Your grit matters, your ambition matters, your perseverance matters,” she asserts.
So, has anyone read the book yet in her family? “Yes… my mother (Madhu Chopra), my husband, my best friend and a few other close associates… people who’ve been part of my journey and understand me completely,” she says.