Priyanka Chopra
Bollywood Beginnings
Priyanka Chopra made her Bollywood Debut in The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. The film predominantly revolved around its star Sunny Deol and his romance with Preity Zinta. However, Priyanka's presence was, well, interesting. She then starred in Andaaz in a negative role alongside Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta and its success proved that she could hold her own in a film with big names. Over the next few years, Priyanka Chopra acted in some forgettable and some mildly successful films till she wowed on and all with her vamp-ish act in Aitraaz. This was a turning point.
The Middle Years
Priyanka Chopra still had not become a solo player. In an industry that is as patriarchal as the country it is a part of, the movies it made seldom had good roles for women. Nevertheless, Priyanka Chopra got roles where she had the opportunity to show some semblance of a performance. In films like Karam, Yakeen and Farhan Akhtar's remake of Don, Piggy Chops showed why she is one of the most sought-after names in the industry. And all this while, she was acting with the top stars; Hrithik Roshan (Krrish), Shah Rukh Khan (Don) and Salaam-e-Ishq (Nikhil Advani).
One-Woman Army
It was with Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion that Priyanka Chopra began to be reckoned as a force of nature. In that film, she played the central protagonist Meghna who comes from a small town to Mumbai to become a supermodel. In the process, she becomes hugely successful but her self-destructive ways brings her down from grace. The role got her a National Film Award. Thereafter, she began starring in big-ticket star vehicles like Dostana and Anjaana Anjaani on the one hand while she made a habit out of giving solid, career-defining performances such as those in Kaminey and 7 Khoon Maaf. Multiple Commercial and Critical Successes; The Arrival of The 'Priyanka Chopra' The blockbuster Agneepath. The surprise super-hit Barfi! where Priyanka Chopra amazed everyone with how well she could portray a mentally deficient young girl. The biopic Mary Kom, the Woody Allenesque drama Dil Dhadakne Do and the historical epic Bajirao Mastani. All critically acclaimed and all superduper hits. Within a span of five years, Priyanka Chopra had taken over Bollywood; such was the writing on the wall and she had managed to do it without coming from a film family, marrying a film actor or any other backing.
Branching Out and Global Success
Priyanka Chopra made an attempt at becoming a global singing sensation. That did not work out well. But she got to collaborate with artists like Jay Sean, RedOne and will.i.am. Her singles, In My City and Exotic, were heavily aired around the world making her a known 'face'. All of this culminated into Priyanka Chopra grabbing the lead role in Quantico, the TV series, and that became a hit. Priyanka Chopra has single-handedly, just with her talent, achieved the sky, the moon, and a little more. And now, Priyanka Chopra is branching out as a producer of multiple regionallanguage films, one of which, the Marathi film Ventilator was a boxoffice success and won three National Awards this year. Baywatch is just a mere milestone for Priyanka Chopra whose career can be traced with the numerous milestones she has laid over the years. Baywatch is not the limit. It is just the beginning.