You may know Priyanka Chopra from her starring role in Quantico, her whirlwind romance (and engagement!) with Nick Jonas, or her fabulous red carpet style. But, there are also many things you probably don’t know about the actress—from her beauty pageant roots to her singing career and many philanthropic endeavors. As we follow her many epic bridal looks (and await the big day), here are 25 things you likely didn’t know about Priyanka.
She won the Miss World pageant.
Chopra began her career in the spotlight at 18 years old when she competed in the Miss World pageant. She was crowned the winner in 2000, and was just the fifth Miss India to ever do so. She was also crowned Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty of Asia & Oceania that same year.
Both of her parents were doctors.
Madhu and Ashok Chopra, Priyanka’s mom and dad, were both physicians in the Indian army. Her father retired from the Indian Army in 1997 and her mother has over 8 medical certifications.
Her first acting audition was for Quantico.
Chopra’s audition for her starring role in Quantico was actually her first audition ever! Although she had appeared in a number of roles before, she had never formally auditioned for any of them.
“People kind of knew who I was and I was cast in movies because it made sense. And then I just ended up doing a lot of them because I guess I was decent at my job,” she once said on Good Morning America.
She owns a production company.
After many years in the industry, Chopra decided to start production company, Purple Pebble Productions, along with her mother, Dr. Madhu Chopra.
“Global icon Priyanka Chopra has always been inspired by the art of storytelling, and conceptualized Purple Pebble Pictures as a home from which great stories originate and a solid platform to promote upcoming talent,” the site says. “She aims to bridge the gap between emerging talent and the myriad opportunities that the world of entertainment has to offer.
The production company has produced movies such as Ventilator, which won 3 National Awards in India.
She is the most followed person from India on Instagram.
With 29.2 million followers, Priyanka Chopra is the most followed Indian on Instagram, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
Her father passed away in 2013.
Her father, Ashok Chopra, passed away in 2013. His death had a big affect on her life, as they had a strong relationship.
“I was very close to my father,” she told Harper’s BAZAAR in 2018. “Losing my dad changed me in a big way. I think it created a space in my heart which is empty, and it’s always going to be. My dad was my biggest fan, my biggest supporter. He loved my achievements, he was a major achiever himself. He was a very creative person. So just losing that and losing his insight on my life. I used to be angry with him after he died, I felt abandoned.”
Her tattoo has special meaning.
Chopra has a tattoo that says “Daddy’s lil girl” in her father’s handwriting on her right wrist. She got the ink in 2012 to honor her dad before lost his battle with cancer in 2013.
She had a successful singing career.
Chopra was the first Bollywood star signed by Creative Artists Agency, and broke into the music scene in 2012 with her song “In My City” with will.i.am. She went on to collaborate with rapper Pitbull for “Exotic” in 2013 before fully transitioning into acting.
She’s a writer.
In 2009, Chopra began writing an opinion column, “The Priyanka Chopra Column,” for the Hindustan Times. She wrote about a relationships, her life experiences, and advice.
She is currently writing a memoir and book of essays titled Unfinished, which is set to be released in 2019 by Penguin Random House India.
She has famous cousins.
Acting chops must run in the family. Chopra’s family tree includes famous actresses, award winner Parineeti Chopra, Meera Chopra, and Mannara Chopra. The cousins, although very busy, do keep in touch via group chat.
“We are extremely close-knit and keep in touch with each other all the time. We cousins, we are 14 of us, and we have this family cousins’ WhatsApp group called ‘The Chopras’. We know what’s happening in each other’s lives,” Mannara told the Hindustan Times.
