Mumbai: Global icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who recently attended the annual Harvard India Conference as one of the speakers, reflected on her journey to Hollywood and credited fellow Indian stars Aishwarya Rai and Irrfan Khan for helping pave the path.
During a conversation with Anjula Acharia, Priyanka acknowledged that Aishwarya and Irrfan’s impressive work in international cinema and their global achievements created opportunities and opened doors for actors like her to transition into Hollywood.
“I really do believe that I stand on the shoulders of amazing artists and talents that came before me. Aishwarya Rai, an icon when she was working in Hollywood, Irrfan Khan, of course, Mindy Kaling. And I was able to push the door open and stand up for what I believe in because they did what they did,” Priyanka said.
Soon, the video clip from the event went viral and fans hailed Priyanka for uplifting her contemporaries.
Sharing the clip from the conference, a fan commented, “Love her or hate her, Priyanka always uplifts her contemporaries and women in general.”
Another remarked, “I agree. This is how you respect your contemporaries instead of being bitchy.”
One fan wrote, “Girl speaks so well, made me believe she is a girl’s girl.”
“PC is so articulate,” said another netizen.
After the conference, Priyanka took to Instagram and penned an emotional note.
Aishwarya has featured in international projects such as ‘Bride & Prejudice’, ‘The Mistress of Spices’ and ‘The Pink Panther 2’.
Films apart, Ash has been a part of several international campaigns, and made her presence felt globally by appearing at Cannes.
Irrfan, on the other hand, has delivered memorable performances in films such as ‘The Namesake’, ‘Life of Pi’, ‘Jurassic World’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
Priyanka is awaiting the release of ‘The Bluff’. Directed by Frank E Flowers, the film is set to be released on Amazon Prime Video on February 25.
The film also stars Karl Urban, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Safia Oakley-Green and Temuera Morrison in key roles.
Priyanka will also be seen in SS Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’ alongside Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran.
