Priyanka Chopra says she 'felt really lost' in Bollywood as an outsider: 'Was trying to navigate this crazy industry...'

Priyanka Chopra has opened up on how her early experiences in Bollywood have helped shape her thinking as a producer.

Priyanka Chopra turned producer a few years ago with her banner, Purple Pebble Pictures. Instead of churning out mainstream content, the actor-producer has championed independent and documentary films through her production house. In a new interview, Priyanka says she gravitates more towards such stories because of her early experiences in Bollywood.

Priyanka Chopra in a still from her film Gunday.(Pic: Yash Raj Films)

Priyanka Chopra on being a producer

Priyanka has backed the new documentary Born Hungry, based on celebrity chef Sash Simpson. The documentary, currently streaming on JioHotstar in India, traces the life of Simpson -- from being abandoned as a young boy in India to his adoption in Canada and his eventual success as a renowned chef. Prior to this, Priyanka has produced films like Paani and Ventilator. In an interview with PTI, Priyanka spoke about her choice of films as a producer, and said, “As a producer, I'm empathetic, and our ethos is a lot around wanting to give opportunities to newer filmmakers or filmmakers that want to achieve something that they haven't been able to or are kind of hitting a wall somewhere. My production side kind of comes from what personally moves me.”

‘I kind of felt really lost’

Talking about backing non-mainstream films as a producer, Priyanka added, “I didn't know why I was gravitating towards filmmakers and stories that were maybe marginalised or told that they're not what is expected...As I'm talking about it, I think it does come from the fact that when I joined the industry, I didn't have it. I was trying to navigate this crazy movie industry by myself with my parents, who were doctors and who also had no idea about the business. And I kind of felt really lost.”

Priyanka Chopra's Bollywood career

Priyanka’s parents were doctors in the Indian Army, with no connection to the entertainment world. She entered showbiz after winning Miss World 2000 at the age of 18, which led to movie offers a couple of years later. She achieved immediate success and critical acclaim with films such as Andaz, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Aitraaz, and Fashion. Eventually, she established herself as the Hindi film industry’s leading female star in the 2010s, before heading to Hollywood in 2016.

Priyanka is returning to Indian cinema in 2027 with SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi, which also stars Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film will be her first Indian release in eight years.