‘Once a stranger followed her’: Priyanka Chopra shares why she keeps daughter Malti Marie away from public eye

Priyanka Chopra said she understands people’s curiosity about her daughter, but her top priority is keeping her daughter Malti Marie safe and protected.

Actor Priyanka Chopra prefers to keep her daughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, away from the public spotlight. The actor recently opened up about the reason behind this decision, revealing that she has put security measures in place to safeguard Malti’s privacy. She also recalled an incident in which a stranger once followed her home from school.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas welcomed their daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas via surrogacy in 2022.

Priyanka on having security around Malti

Recently, Priyanka joined Amanda Hirsch's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast where she revealed why she and Nick Jonas are prioritising their daughter Malti's anonymity as she grows older.

"As she's growing older, we've started to also kind of just deflect a little bit. She moves around a lot, (so we) let her have as much anonymity as she can. It is her normal, and people will be curious about her, and I never want her to be fearful of that or judgy or skeptical of the humans that she meets because there are good people in the world, and I've had wonderful experiences with friends like that. It's okay for her to be aware of it, but to have a sense of choice, I think will be important,” Priyanka said.

The actor went on to explain why she decided to hire security when they go out, sharing that her daughter was once followed home from school by a normal person recording her. Priyanka confessed that she decided to lead a public life, but she wants to ensure her daughter has the ability to make that choice for herself.

She shared, “When we have security out and about, it's just ... to not be recorded without consent because a lot of that happens… I've always been of the opinion that I kind of chose a public life... (When) it comes to children, that's ... terrain we are all learning in the last like 10 to 20 years what that is gonna be like in the next 10 years, 15 years for them. So I think a little bit of grace is required for everyone, but also certain awareness of safety and what that means."

During the chat, Priyanka mentioned that all the curiosity about her daughter is "great”, but she wants to prioritise Malti's protection above everything else.

Priyanka got married to singer Nick Jonas in 2018, and the couple embraced parenthood in 2022 when they welcomed their daughter Malti Marie Chopra Jonas via surrogacy.

Priyanka’s latest project

Priyanka was most recently seen in the pirate action-adventure film The Bluff. The actor will soon be making her comeback to Indian cinema with SSMB29, directed by SS Rajamouli. The film also stars Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran and is said to be made on a budget of ₹1000 crore, making it one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. The film’s teaser revealed it is a time-travel film. It is currently under production and is scheduled to release in theatres in April 2027. Fans will also see Priyanka in the second season of the web series Citadel.