Being PC: Priyanka Chopra's new Hollywood movie releases. But has her international career kept pace with her talent?
Diana Chopra is a ‘hot dog’. A tiny rescued pooch and actress Priyanka Chopra’s pet kid, she trots out her designer accessories and outfits on Instagram. That led to a headline on the portal of a leading international lifestyle magazine: “Is Priyanka Chopra’s Dog The Most Fashionable Pet In Hollywood?”
View this post on InstagramI’m my mommy’s best accessory ???? @priyankachopra
A post shared by Diana Chopra (@diariesofdiana) on
Some cinema writers in the West, in other words, have found a new subject to write on — the canine celebrity companion of the Indian star.
Meanwhile, Madame Tussauds had news to offer.
The museum unveiled the actress’s first wax statue after her marriage, as ‘Priyanka Chopra Jonas,’ in New York City. Additionally, reports have confirmed that Priyanka has become the first ‘global icon’ to have four Madame Tussauds statues — one more than late American actress-musician Whitney Houston.
The manner in which the West is celebrating her sheer presence in its environs is astonishing.
Why?
Well, her innings in Hollywood havn't been as noteworthy as occasionally made out to be. At the moment, the focus on her has a lot to do with who she is — a South Asian actress married to an American idol, Nick Jonas, who splits her life between New York and Mumbai and is a very big star in her native country.
Work-wise, Priyanka has taken her first few steps in the West. She hasn’t been uneasy about doing less work in the Hindi film industry — a bold decision, considering there are no freebies in the far more competitive Hollywood.
Priyanka will now be seen in the supporting role of an Indian yoga ambassador in Todd Strauss-Schulson’s Isn’t It Romantic, a satirical fantasy starring Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth and Adam DeVine. The film reportedly hinges on an architect trapped in a humdrum life (Wilson), who gets transported to an alternate PG 13 universe after an incident in a New York subway. Seen in the supporting role of a glamorous yoga ambassador, Priyanka's protagonist reportedly doesn't have much to write home about.
In contrast, Quantico (2015-2018), the drama thriller that premiered on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 27, 2015, and lasted for three seasons, has been a significant success for Priyanka. For her performance as Alex Parrish, an FBI field agent who becomes the main suspect of a terrorist attack on Grand Central Terminal in New York, she won two People’s Choice Awards — in fact, the win for Best Actress in a New TV Series (2016) made her the first South Asian to win the award. That was followed by an award for Favourite Dramatic Actress in 2017.
Till date, she can be best described as the Quantico girl of American television.
One cinematic outing she might wish to forget is her performance as the antagonist, Victoria Leeds, in Seth Gordon’s forgettable big-screen version of Baywatch (2017). As the smart and sexy villain who also deals in drugs, she was just about adequate in a film marred by a wafer-thin storyline, pathetic dialogues, insipid performances and mediocre direction.
She was also seen as a single mother in trans filmmaker Silas Howard’s deeply affecting drama A Kid Like Jake (2018) — the story of a happy middle-class couple who need to deal with their kid Jake’s transgender identity. Chopra was quite good in the supporting role, but the film belonged to Claire Danes and Jim Parsons who excelled as Jake’s parents.
The actress would have been absolutely thrilled after bagging the female lead in Universal’s big-budget film Cowboy Ninja Viking opposite Chris Pratt, directed by Michelle MacLaren. She would have been equally disappointed after the studio decided to postpone it ‘indefinitely’, the only silver lining being that it hasn’t been shelved.
Priyanka has made news abroad in recent times but mostly because of her marriage with Jonas. Her name has also cropped up in the context of Meghan Markle, her royal bestie. Even Diana Chopra has woofed contentedly and bagged headlines alongside her pampering mom.
The real news she needs to make now is about working in big international films.
The actress is no stranger to such news in India. She has been more than effective in big-budget entertainers like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Dostana (2008), Don (2006) and its sequel Don 2 (2011), Agneepath (2012), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and Bajirao Mastani (2015). She has also proved that she is one of the finest modern-day actresses with her performances in offbeat films like Fashion (2008), Kaminey (2009), 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), and Barfi! (2012).
That’s the kind of news she must make in the West to qualify as a real global icon.
She is intrepid, purposeful and talented. But the big question is — when will we see our PC finally justifying the international attention being showered on her?