Priyanka Chopra Jonas recounted her early days in the Hindi film industry and the challenge of balancing acting with dance.
When Priyanka Chopra Jonas entered Bollywood in the early 2000s, she had confidence and talent, but one thing held her back—dancing.
Even after winning the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in Andaaz (2003), she struggled with choreography.
In her latest interview with Vogue Arabia, Priyanka admitted, “I was a dreadful dancer when I first started. I was not able to act and nail the choreography at the same time, plus coordinate with my co-star. It was just too many things for my 19- or 20-year-old brain!”
Her toughest moment came during a shoot in South Africa with choreographer Raju Khan. Missing her marks again and again, she faced his anger. He told her bluntly, “You might come from a pageant, but learn how to dance before you become an actress.” Khan walked off, leaving her embarrassed and shaken.
Instead of giving up, Priyanka decided to fight back. She trained for six hours a day with Katrina Kaif, who was also new to films at the time. Together, they practiced endlessly, learning the rhythm and energy that Bollywood dance demands.
The Don actress said that she had been pushed straight into the spotlight and explained that whenever she faced a challenge, she chose to survive and thrive.
She added that she had always been competitive, even with herself, and that in both pageants and films she had no family connections, so there was no one to help her in the industry. The actress emphasized that she had to learn everything very quickly.
Priyanka also shared that even when she was not shooting, she never wasted time sitting alone in her trailer. Instead, she used every opportunity to watch and learn from senior colleagues, carefully observing their creative choices and absorbing their techniques.
From struggling with choreography to owning the stage in big song sequences, she proved that hard work can turn weakness into power. The actress also went on to give acclaimed performances in films like Barfi, Fashion and Bajirao Mastani.
On the work front, Priyanka Chopra is set to star in SS Rajamouli’s grand project Varanasi, where she will share the screen with Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
