Original subtitles

He said, I don't like to sit in the shit.

I don't. It stinks.

You sit in the shit, it'll stink.

If I hadn't sat here, I could have had a better view. Oh no, I'll turn around

for you right now.

I would talk deliberately.

I'd pick up my coffee cup like this.

I would look at you slowly. My mother was like, hello.

Prime Video has invested in stories with strong female narratives like

Shakuntala Devi, Sherni, Made in Heaven, Penguin, Four More Shots Please, just a

few names from our list of hundreds.

Break the Roles is Prime Video's initiative that aims to drive

for women in the industry, breaking the roles both in front of and behind the

camera.

Underrepresentation of women in media has often reinforced harmful gender

stereotypes and have portrayed an imbalanced picture of the society.

This is something that we at Prime Video India are determined to challenge and

change. In fact, I'm personally committed to it. We as an industry have

gradually shifted the focus from women playing supporting roles to becoming the

protagonists. With that...

Let me introduce you all to the dynamic Anupama Chopra, founder and editor of

Film Companion and global superstar and borderless entertainer Priyanka Chopra

Jonas.

amazing it never gets old does it no no are you kidding it never gets old i mean

look at the love i'm surrounded with this is the support that makes me go to

work every day this is the support that makes me fight my battles and you know

feel like i'm not alone and it never gets old this is what i work for you

so so priyanka i have to start with something that you said which i loved

did i say now

So now what?

It's always, ab maini kya keh diya? Ab maini kya keh diya, yaar. No, you said

that good girls don't make history. Bold girls make history.

You've been a bold girl for as long as I can remember.

Right. This year is the 20th year of you in Hindi cinema.

Hero, The Love Story with Spy, released in 2003.

I remember our first interview, which was like two years after that.

I was talking to you for a story I was doing for the New York Times about how

Hindi film heroines were actually now becoming bad on screen.

They were no longer these sort of... Oh, when I did Etras. When you did Etras

and you played this sexual predator and I remember speaking to you about it,

which was 15 years ago. You were bold then, you are bold now.

What does it take to be a consistent disruptor?

I think I was very lucky to have an upbringing where my parents gave me a

of self, where I was given the ability to make my own choices.

I think a lot of girls, especially in our country and many others, their

ability to make choices is taken away from them. So I think it's very

for us to raise bold girls, for us to raise girls that push the envelope, for

to invest in the girls in our communities, in our countries. Because

stands on her own feet, she not just takes her family forward, she takes her

community forward, which in part takes the country forward. Women are 50 % of

the world's population and we...

have always had to take a step behind.

And I think it is imperative, our prerogative, and our responsibility,

women alike, parents, grandparents, and as communities and societies to empower

our children, our girls. And I am a result of a family that empowered me.

was four years old, my father encouraged opinions.

I used to sit with my parents' friends. And my dad comes from a... middle -class

background, so does my mom, Ambala, conservative background.

But he always asked for my opinion, and not in a flippant way, let's see what a

four -year -old has to say, but in a serious way. And that always made me

like I'm important. And I told this story, actually, I think I told it in my

book, but it was really interesting.

You know, in military houses, they have nameplates outside your barracks where

it says who is staying here. So my father was a major back then. Her mother

a captain.

So the nameplate said Major Ashok Kumar Chopra and Captain Madhu Chopra.

So I looked at it when it was being installed and it was hammered into our

house. And I asked my father. I must have been in kindergarten, I think, that

time. So KG me baith ke, I asked my father. I said, hmm, do I live in this

house?

And he said, yes, you do. I said, then why is my name not up there?

And my dad changed the nameplate.

And it said, Priyanka Mimi Chopra KGB, which is kindergarten B.

That is what I mean. Giving me a sense of self, not making fun of me, not

saying, see how funny that was. It was not funny.

It came from a serious place for me, even at five. And it was taken seriously

my parents.

So that's what I mean. I think it is really... And as a new parent myself and

many of you may be and aspiring to be, I think it's very important for this

generation to invest in our girls. It's so important.

I think you've redefined that word bold.

In a good way? In a good way. You know, earlier you said, she's very bold.

She's very bold. She told me that too.

Don't worry. She's very bold.

I converted it into being a good thing.

Absolutely. So, Priyanka, you are...

now headlining Citadel, first Indian actor to headline a global spy series.

Okay? Yes.

And here's the thing, okay? So this series, guys, costs $200 million,

which Google tells me is upward of 1600 crores. I can't even figure that one

out. I can't convert between rupees and dollars.

It's above my pay grade.

But Priyanka, this is such a massive achievement.

What do you want it to do for yourself but also for other actors?

You know, it's my 10th year.

um 10th year i think to 2013 that i actually started looking for work in

hollywood and after 10 years you're seeing me do a show like this so it

lot of perseverance especially for immigrant actors that try to come into

hollywood and create a space for themselves whether that's indian or from

other country um because when i started working especially when you think about

south asians i mean there were like four or five in the room and we all knew

each other and

And now, you know, the quest for all of us, and that could be Mindy, Aziz, me,

Carl Penn, like, you know, a few actors, always to open the door and make more

space for more like us.

And I, when I started... When I got initial pushback in Hollywood, when I

looking for the kind of work that I was used to, and I'm not afraid of hard

work. I made my showreel.

I walked in to meet producers, filmmakers.

I showed them the work that I had done in India.

I'm not someone who walks around with an ego.

I believe in hard work, and I think only your work can speak for itself.

So I used to walk in. I took meetings. I did auditions.

And I got smaller roles and I did make them bigger and bigger and bigger and

slowly took time to be able to get to this place.

So I think that now that I feel like I have, you know, my feet on solid

ground for the last four or five years, it really has been my quest to be able

to create a lot more space for not just me, but people like me, actors, you

know, writers, directors, women behind the camera, in front of the camera. I

have a first look deal with Amazon Prime.

in which I'm producing a lot of TV and film for them. And most of them are

-specific stories about South Asia and our diaspora.

And I feel so proud to be able to actually work with a streamer that is so

interested in Indian stories.

And I signed this first look deal with them four years ago. It wasn't even now.

But I'm so invested in telling...

specific, culturally specific stories. And I love to be able to be at the

forefront of that. I'm working with incredible writers, new writers, like I

with Purple Pebble in India when I started making regional movies. I only

with first -time producers, first -time directors, first -time writers.

And that somehow gives me a lot of joy I never had.

Anyone who did that for me or opened up doors for me when I joined the industry

and I want to be the shoulders for other people to jump off of because I have

got this privileged responsibility or an opportunity.

That's so wonderful. Thank you. It's such a great place to be in where I'm

telling you, there's this one show that Purple Pebble was presenting and they

had been...

you know, small movie and they've been knocking on all of these doors and we

them in and they're in a prime now, actually, again, my home.

But, you know, she gave me a hug. And you guys will hear about it, so I don't

want to talk about it right now. But she gave me a hug and she said, you know,

to be able to just know that I have someone I can call and say, hey, I'm

your part of the world. Can you connect me to someone? Can you show me the way

in a place where, you know, you don't know anybody? Like, I did not have that.

So to be able to be that conduit for someone really gives me so much

satisfaction.

Pragya, you've been famous for most of your adult life, right? More than half

life. Yeah, more than half your life. But I feel now the fame is sort of just

outside, right? You have 85 million people just following you on Instagram.

Right. It's insane.

It's nuts.

Yeah.

It really is nuts.

But your job is to be an actor, right? It's to enter a character and make us

forget about Priyanka.

Does that get harder the more successful you become? How do you nurture the

actor?

I think fame is a byproduct of my job.

It's not what I was seeking when I started working. I was not like, oh, I

to do this movie and be famous.

No, I wanted to win awards. I wanted people to like my work. I wanted to be

taken seriously as an artist. I feel like I'm a very creative person.

So you kind of, they both kind of become one. You have to protect that by

protecting yourself.

So when I go on to set, I try not to play myself ever. I don't think I've

played me. Like you all may know me because you know me as Priyanka and

known my interviews or conversations.

But I don't think I'm similar to any of the characters I've ever played because

that's been a very deliberate decision, especially for Nadia.

Nadia has no sense of humor. She never smiles.

And I'm always laughing.

I'm goofy. I'm funny. She's really serious.

She keeps the world burden on her shoulders. And she's really tough.

And I cry in one second. And I'll tell anyone any secret.

I'm very open with my inner circle.

And that keeps me sane.

It keeps me rooted.

It keeps my sense of self.

But I think the same thing I do with my characters is I really protect them. So

I can be myself with my people in my home, but when I go to set, I don't feel

the need to be me at all.

So you spend time with your filmmakers, you break down characters. Like on this

show, Richard and I really depended a lot on each other because our characters

are so intertwined. So there were times where, you know, a line would come and I

would say or he would say that...

hey, I don't think we've talked about this because the show is nonlinear. It

goes back and forth in time.

So you say, I don't think we've talked about this yet. And I would say, oh,

yeah, it was cut from the previous script. And then we'd go back to the

and say, hey, I think this needs to be amended.

So we really worked as a unit on this one, which helped us kind of navigate,

know, the characters and be very honest and true to them versus ourselves.

So when you walk into the set, when you're in front of the camera, you are

able to disconnect from the noise around you?

Oh yeah, girl.

Really? That's what I do.

That's literally my job.

It's between action and cut.

I have been trained in Bollywood movies. Do you know how many streets I've

danced on? Yeah.

I've been in the middle of Trafalgar Square, guys, with 500 people around me

dancing in front of a horse.

Nothing moves you after that.

Yes, this is true.

But you know, Priyanka, when we look at you, right, from the outside, we see

this woman in charge, right? We see the boss lady who's living in this 23 ,000

square foot home with this rock star husband, with a gorgeous daughter,

But you do talk about how tough it's been.

Okay, you've talked about the politics, the bullying, the trolling when your

daughter was born, all sorts of comments about it. How do you actually

disconnect from that?

I came to terms with the byproduct of fame very early in my career.

When I first joined the industry, I quickly realized that women

but generally actors or talent in the industry,

They are more written about, and this is a you thing. I mean, not you, but like

a media thing.

People like to write about everything else but their achievements.

People, media likes to write about how they fell on a stage, how they tripped

on a word or anything.

And especially with women at that time, we were mostly known by who's her

boyfriend, who is she seeing.

So you had no identity.

And that happened to me right at the beginning of my career.

you know, decisive decision to keep my private life very private. I was

ferociously private about it.

I've never, ever spoken about it. And it's something that I maintain even now

because I'm a public figure, which means most of my life is for consumption.

You know, you can talk about me. I can't stop you. You can sit, break bread with

your grandparents and say, I can't come into

your houses and do that.

So I have to make peace with the fact that that's going to happen. And I did

that very early. And I started protecting myself by creating a really

circle of people that I trust. My team, my family, my friends.

Like I can count 20 people in my life that have been consistent for years. And

recommend that to all young people. You know, we live in the world of social

media, which is kind of like being famous anyway.

You know, it's kind of the same thing.

You are always looking for validation on the Internet. We're all looking at

comments. We're all looking at what did someone say about my picture.

We're, you know, fixing it. We're trying to find the best angle. And on social

media, including me.

We all put out the best versions of ourselves, right?

I don't have that luxury as a public person.

You can literally lip -read and say that I said something and that will become

an article, and I have not said that at all. So I made peace with that a very

long time ago when I wrap work, whatever time that is at night. Nowadays it's

usually 7 o 'clock, where, not today obviously, but usually.

7 o 'clock when I'm done with my day and I need to sit with my family and my

friends and have time for myself to enrich my soul. I didn't do that in my

and I burnt myself on both sides.

I went through a really, really dark phase where I just, I was working too

I didn't know how to emotionally feel. I was dealing with a lot of loss and

grief and changes and I just had to step back and take time out and, you know.

prioritized what was important.

And I'm very clear about my priorities today and I'm the most content and happy

I've ever been.

Well, you look it. Thank you.

But Priyanka, coming back to what you had talked about, specifically about the

Hindi film industry, specifically about the politics or the bullying, what do

you think we can do?

to make it a more equitable place? What can we actually intentionally do?

I think conversation is very important.

I think we get caught up in pointing figures. We get caught up in blame

And cancel culture is so prevalent in our lives right now that people think

that's the solution to everything. And I completely disagree.

I think it is never...

one or two persons' faults.

I think it is a society and it's a community that perpetuates that. And I

we need to start thinking about how we create opportunities or create a

workspace, how we make space for others instead of actually, you know, having a

smaller and smaller table. How does your table become larger and larger and how

do you give more people a seat on that table? And I think maybe it was that

experience for me and it wasn't the industry. I have incredible friends and

worked worked with the most amazing filmmakers in the industry.

But it's certain cliques that always do that. And that'll happen in your

profession, I'm sure in your profession, including mine.

And I think the conversation around creating more space for people is very

important in every job. And to create a good working environment, a positive

working environment with transparency, with respect.

And I think respect cannot be demanded.

It has to be commanded.

And I think when you walk into a room, you have to walk in with a sense of

And that's very hard when you're young and when you're new and you're scared.

It's really difficult to do. But I always encourage young people,

young girls, you know, and young people in general.

In the world of information today, where information is coming at you left,

right, and center, whether it's misinformation, fake information,

information or not, you're getting all kinds of information.

You have to really take time from your spirit and in your heart to see what

actually affects you, what really moves you, what you care about, what is

important to do, what are your priorities.

the noise just kind of goes away. And when the noise kind of goes away, you

that self -confidence.

And that's what I tried to do. I, of course, was intimidated. Of course, I

weak in the knees and terrified.

But what I did was...

I tried to cut the noise out, and I took my next step, and I took my next step.

And I didn't think about the large picture. I didn't think about where I

going. But I knew if I take one step and I make it excellent, and I take the

next step and I make it excellent, hopefully my journey will be excellent.

And here we are now.

Citadel started as a conversation you had with Amazon studio head Jennifer

years ago.

Five years ago. Crazy.

It's amazing.

And the fact that she's in charge, I think has some role to play also in the

fact that you said that it's the first time in your life that you've got pay

parity. So a woman in the position of power really makes a difference.

Absolutely. So we do this, Film Companion does a report with Amazon and

OMAX called O Womania.

So it's an annual report on women in entertainment.

And last year, the report found that if a woman is heading any project, it even

impacts on the talk time that women have in trailers.

It's 35 % if there's a woman in charge. It's 22 % if there's a man in charge.

It's incredible.

Wow. It's incredible. But the sad thing is, in the projects that we looked at in

the Hindi film industry, only 10 % of the HODs were women.

So how do we change?

We are already changing it. Yes, absolutely. You know, and I'm so proud,

honestly, of the women of my generation, female actresses, directors, and a

few... amazing men who have taken it upon themselves to create more

opportunities for women in the industry, in front of the camera and behind the

camera. And I think that's very important, to be able to... We have

sitting here, who heads the India side of this incredible studio.

She's taken hit after hit, but is still formidable and taking decisions and

pulling up other women.

Jen, who has set that top -down tone to be able to do that.

And I think that...

The more we push for women to be in positions of power, the more we'll see

in decision -making, and then the more you'll see the impact, not just on

but communities, on men, on women alike.

Because women have been deprived of opportunity for such a long time, and

especially positions of power, we have to work four times harder than men to be

able to get to that position. We have to prove ourselves so much more than men

to get to be in a position of power.

It's harder, you know, when a woman is in charge, she's tough. You know, there

are words that are used for her, which are derogatory, which when it comes to a

man, we would say, wow, that's so impressive.

You know, he's so powerful.

But with women, we get intimidated and we have to change that. And that

conversation needs to change. We have to normalize, you know, wanting women in

positions of power, respecting women in positions of power.

I mean, we're from a country that...

We're in India. We pray to goddesses. We believe in

goddesses. Durga is prevalent to all of us who follow

the belief system.

And I think that we really have to go back and remind ourselves that women

are...

What make our families? We are matriarchal, you know, as well. We

power of dadis and nanis and moms. And we always go back to that. Why can't we

take that outside of our homes as well and inside of our homes? Why can't the

conversation about equity? And I see it happening already. I've seen it in so

many homes. In my own home, you know, when my mother was younger, my

had four.

And my grandfather was very sure that they'll all be educated and they'll all

have academic jobs. And they all do. And then they've changed the life for their

daughters. And then their daughters are changing the life for their daughters.

And the family in general.

So I think it's really important to have the conversation. And I think it's very

important to raise our sons respecting our daughters.

Yeah.

That's a big one.

You're absolutely right, Priyanka, when you talk about your generation of

actresses. Because I've done this for 25 years, right? And when I started, women

didn't talk about these things. It was just not done.

You're not supposed to talk about it. You're not supposed to. And we all

accepted that as the norm.

None of us questioned it. It was just a given that no... A female actor would

talk about pay parity. It's a long story.

But it's nothing.

I also didn't expect it when my agents told me, you know what, you're playing a

co -lead. Let us go and talk to Amazon about getting you parity. I was like,

okay, you can try. It's never going to happen.

Even I didn't believe it. Because for so many years, I fought that fight and had

that conversation.

You fought that fight here? Of course. I mean, I never asked for parity. Are you

kidding me?

I only asked for a little bit more.

I didn't get that either.

So I just gave up the fight.

So that's why even over there, I was so jaded. I was like, that's not going to

happen. But I have to give a shout out to my agents, UTA. They really were

let's just have that conversation.

And then Amazon, which said, that's fair.

And that's how the show is going to be. They're both co -leads. They'll get the

same parity. They'll get the same perks.

And I remember I was so shocked that day when I went back.

I, like, popped champagne and I was like, my family was celebrating because

such a, it's momentous. I've had a 22 -year career and it was crazy to think

about. But, you know, one step at a time, one win at a time. And then you

back and your life is a win.

You know, Prime also runs Metri, which is headed by Smriti Kiran, where

it's a collective for women in entertainment.

Do you think, these kind of initiatives, where it is a sort of sisterhood, where

you're kind of leading on each other, can this help to kind of perpetuate the

change faster?

Absolutely. I think when women are surrounded by each other and we kind of

support each other, there's a magic that comes out of it. Because for the

longest time, women were pitted against each other, right?

The most beautiful girl will get the job. So we're all trying to elbow each

other out. And the most beautiful girl will get the boy. So we're all trying to

push each other out.

You know, actresses can't be friends. They have catfights. Nobody talked about

that with boys.

Everyone was like, it's a bromance. And they're friends.

But no, the girls were always catfights.

We always heard that there are two heroines, so there will be a fight.

Of course. And that was perpetuated. Yeah.

And that's why I'm saying I'm so proud of my generation of women, not just in

entertainment, but all of you who have created a sisterhood, who have said

not going to perpetuate that anymore. It doesn't exist.

We can be friends. We can support each other. In fact, we can do business

together. We can make money together. We can create opportunities for other

women together. We can be financially secure and secure other women. And it is

so wonderful to be able to see that in this generation of women because now I

know that the next generation will not inherit that problem.

Yeah. Yeah.

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Yes. A louder round of applause.

You said you're the happiest you've ever been, right? But when you look back...

Content. Content.

Which is nice. It's all good. It's all good.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

I wish I...

Hadn't shed as many tears as I did.

I wish I hadn't beaten myself up as much as I did.

Why did you beat yourself up? Because that's what we are taught to do. We're

taught that, you know, one failure is the... When you're young, when you're

in your teens and in your twenties, and I'll tell, I see a lot of young faces

here, and you'll realize this when you get older, in your thirties, you'll

realize it.

But when you're young, you feel like one failure is the end of your life, or one

breakup, or one friendship, or one fight.

you feel like you can never come back from that.

And I am a very intense person in general. I'm very sentimental.

I'm emotional.

So everything affects me. Energies affect me. If I've hurt someone, it

me, deliberately or by mistake.

So I think I used to really beat myself up when something went wrong or when I

didn't get an opportunity.

It's my fault. I must have done something wrong. And I would like to

younger... 19, 20 year old self that, you know, life is all hills and valleys.

It's never going to be a smooth road. You will have up, you will have down,

when it's down, you will go up.

So when you're up, be prepared for a down and it's okay.

Surround yourself by people that prop you up.

Surround yourself by people who are genuinely happy for you.

all the followers not like the people who you know you think are your friends

that you may party with but the ones that pick up your phone call at two o

'clock in the morning the one when someone is sick in your family that will

with you for hours overnight you know those are the ones you collect those are

the ones you remember and those are the ones you keep for the rest of your life

that's the biggest riches in the world and I mean I had that when I was 20 I

just ignored it because I thought that You know, my new life and this industry

and my career was the most important thing.

But family is.

And the people around you are. And having a support system that makes you

to step forward every single day in this difficult ride called life, you know.

And that just makes it easier. Because life is never going to be easy.

It makes it easier to have the right people in your life.

Yeah. You know, as long as I've known you.

It's always been world domination plan.

Has it been?

Since you've known me. Since, you know, it was never a key, I'll only do this.

It was always, I want everything. And, which is wonderful.

But I'm just wondering, experience, wisdom, age, motherhood, has that

all? This world domination plan?

I think so. I think... There's always a glass ceiling that is set up for women,

and I just don't like a glass ceiling. My dad had told me this, and I know a

of you know this because I've said this before, that glass ceilings are set for

girls, for people, minorities, immigrants, whatever you want to say,

There are glass ceilings set for everyone.

I don't think she's capable of that.

they're not going to do it. I don't think he can do this job because he's

confident enough. I don't think he dresses right or I don't think she does

People will have all kinds of opinions and all kinds of noise that will turn

your personality into what they think you are.

So I think, yes, age, growing, maturity, maybe motherhood,

maybe the fact that, you know,

fought battles, I've overcome them, some I've succumbed to, and I kind of

reached the place of plateau.

And I think getting to that place required a journey.

But I think that being kind to yourself, which I didn't do a lot of times, which

I do now very much, is crucial. And I think that's kind of what helped me, is

kind of being very kind to me.

What does that mean?

So...

I'm an ambitious girl, right? You said global domination. I want everything

that's bigger and better. I want the next step to be bigger than the one I

last. I want my next movie to be bigger. I want my next part to be bigger. I

just want everything to be, you know, an upward trajectory.

But there were times where I forgot to sleep. I forgot to eat. I forgot

birthdays. I wasn't home for Diwali. I would work on Christmas. I was never

around.

I look back, my mom used to say this. I have like 11 passports. My passports are

that big.

My mom used to always say, you have so many stamps on your passport, but you've

never really been anywhere.

And it's true.

I'd never seen anything.

It's kind of heartbreaking.

I know. Hotel room to set, set to hotel. I took my first holiday almost 10 to 12

years after I started working.

And now I've invested in myself.

I'm trying to find things that I like outside of work. I haven't found it yet.

I'm a really bad painter. I found out that though.

I shouldn't have bought that easel.

It didn't work out well for me.

What are you painting?

I don't know. I tried. I had a really ambitious, like I found it. I was

in Silver Lake Studios in New York. And it has this beautiful billboard which is

like... in lights, which is like black and red. And I bought a black easel and

said, this is so easy. I just have to splash paint.

It looked like watercolors.

By a two -year -old. It was so embarrassing. I didn't show it to

And I decided painting was not the thing. I tried knitting.

I'm going to try pottery.

I tried all the things. You were knitting?

I did. I knitted a scarf.

It was nine feet tall because I don't know how to do corners.

I mean, it doesn't even end.

It's gone.

Angry knitting.

You're competitive in your knitting as well.

I'm like competitive. All my emotions are being poured into the scarf.

But I mean, like, now I take time for myself.

I'll take a holiday. I spend time with my friends. I laugh a little. I don't

always live.

And I think your life being your work is absolutely untrue. I think we are told

that for a very long time, that if you stop working, somebody else will get

opportunity. Don't stop working, but have a work -life balance.

I think having a work -life balance is so crucial.

And especially us, you know, we're a country of so many people that we are

constantly told to say that, you know, somebody else is going to take your spot

in a second.

But if you invest in yourself and you're really good at what you do and you kind

of find,

your rhythm and your strengths, focus on that, find a work -life balance, it

just works, becomes so much better.

You're inspired, you're excited.

And that's how I'm being kind to myself, is just by giving myself time.

Because I remember a conversation we had, like, I think five years ago.

And actually, it was before your marriage.

And I asked you, what have you given to have the career that you have?

And you said, my life.

I did. I completely, I did not have my twenties.

I don't remember anything else except being on set or trailers or my team.

In my thirties, I started going to America and, you know, I was having a

bit of a two second music career. And in

my two second pop star career.

I had a great time because I was suddenly like, oh my gosh, I love music.

think musicians are incredible because musicians and writers, I feel like

that can create from air, you know, just writing a song, it comes from your

head. As actors, we lean on other people's words. We lean on other

direction. We lean on other people so much to be able to bring our characters

life that we're given way too much credit, I think. But writers.

People who conceptualize, people who come up with ideas, whether that's for

music or for books or for art or painters, paintings or drawings, things

come from thin air, I'm a big admirer of.

So when I started doing music, I was in the room with all of these people that

I'd grown up admiring, like Will .i .am and Pitbull and Red One.

And I was like, you know, like spinning. And I suddenly started doing stuff that

I liked, you know, because...

I didn't think, honestly, like after I heard my first song, I was like, oh, I

don't know if this is going to be long term.

But I was enjoying it too much to give it up, you know.

And in that phase is kind of where, and this was me in my early 30s, I kind of

realized that I really have fun when I hang out with my team after work or we

find a new restaurant, you know. Oh my gosh, a movie has come out. Should we go

to the theater to watch it?

Like those were things I just never did. And maybe because I was in America, I

had a little bit of anonymity compared to India.

I started doing stuff like that.

And it kind of shifted my mindset. And I started taking on work with people that

I like.

I started working with like -minded people. I started looking for like

people to collaborate with.

I started making friends that like similar things. I started taking time

and, you know, going away for a weekend. How about that?

It was such a new novel concept for me.

And that, I think, kind of helped me find a little bit of a work -life

Here's the thing I don't get.

Okay. Okay? Okay. Is how despite the incredible fame for such a long time,

you are able to look at that music career and honestly say it was two

Right? You were able to walk into... No, listen.

In my 22 -year career, it was two seconds only.

There are literally four singles online, guys.

I have 40 in Natasha's laptop, though. There are many songs in her laptop,

will never be heard.

But, Priyanka, you're able to see it objectively.

You're very realistic and sort of open about, okay, maybe I wasn't so good at

this. There's not a lot of famous people who can do that. How are you able to do

this?

I don't know, man. I come from a place of honesty.

I think it's just easier to be authentic and transparent.

I mean, you all are talking about it anyway, so I might as well join the

conversation.

Like, why are you leaving me out?

Tell me what you really feel so we can all talk about it.

And I hear what you really feel all the time, trust me.

It's all on my timeline.

But I think just being a little bit more real with yourself.

I don't have a sense of ego when I walk into a room. I know when my films

haven't done well. I know when they have done well.

I don't rest on my laurels. I'm never someone who will say, wow, my last

was such a hit.

be excited about that for the next five years. No.

I'm looking for the next thing, how I can beat what I just did. I'm always

looking at being better than what I was in the past. So I think I can be very

honest and say, okay, that was bad and I cried and I dust myself off and then

I'll be gone. You know, what you do after failure is what defines a human

because failure is going to happen to all of us.

Yeah.

That deserves a round of applause.

Are you good with failure?

Do you sort of get it out of your system quickly?

No, it takes a lot of dramatics before it comes out.

What happens?

Crying, overthinking, over -crying, watching movies for five days and not

talking to anyone.

It sucks, man, when you fail, whether it's in class or whatever.

Any dent hurts when you work really hard.

And you fail. It hurts. And especially in my job, right? Like my job is so

inconsistent. Think about it. I don't know where my next check is coming from

till I sign my next term.

I have no idea.

So I have, it's so unpredictable that it's not like a nine to five. It's not

like I get a salary every month. Like think about the basic of that. It's

a simple, terrifying thought. So to build a 22 year career with that kind of

inconsistency takes a lot.

And I think it's easier for me when I'm more realistic about it and I'm like,

you know what, that didn't work. How can I make it better? I have to know that

to be able to be better. I cannot be deluded. I don't like being deluded and

don't like deluded people.

It's just not my cup of tea.

Yeah.

You said something else that I really loved. You said, I don't like to sit in

the shit. I don't. It stinks.

Think about it. You sit on the chair.

It'll stink. You'll stink.

Why sit in it? Go have a shower. Get out of here.

What do you do?

Practically, what do you do to not sit in the chair?

Lots of tissue paper.

Wow,

this conversation pivoted.

I picked a really solid metaphor.

I think that what I meant by that was that, you know, life throws stuff at

And there are times when everything feels like you're never going to be able

get out of it. Like it's quicksand. Every day you're being pulled down. Or

moment you can't even see a sliver of hope.

And we've all been through phases of our lives where that has happened.

If you sit, and you should sit and mourn.

what you're feeling. I really believe in not pushing things under the rug. I

believe in actually talking about it. Find a person you trust.

It is very, very crucial.

And I have friends and we know people that have, you know, when people think

that they're alone, the noise and the fear becomes really big.

When you're alone and you're dealing with what you're scared of, you can't

it because it's in your head.

And you can't fight what's in your head. But when you talk about it to someone

you trust, whether it's your family member, whether it's a loved one,

it's a therapist, whatever, somehow the power goes away from it. So what I do

when I'm in the sit is I diffuse it.

So say I have an issue with you, right? And you and I have

had like, whatever, you said something about me because I'll never say anything

about anyone.

It has to be me.

It has to be you because you're on the hot seat always asking us questions.

You said something about me. The next time I meet you, I'll talk to you about

it.

I'll sit you down and I'll say, hey, what do you mean?

What happened? What turned?

You know, and we'll talk about it for five minutes and it's over.

And I don't have the baggage around my feet. I move on and it's done.

Move on.

Life is so much easier when you're not sitting in the shit and carrying the

baggage along with you.

You're so heavy, you're never going to be able to rise above the water.

You have to let it go to keep your head above water. And I like breathing.

Fresh, clean air.

Okay, last question and we open it up to the audience.

This is something, I want the practical hack, okay? Because this is something I

deeply admire is how much you get done in a day, okay?

We also work together on the GeoMami Mumbai Film Festival and it's

to me that you will find time and you will sort of sit on it with the kind of

detail that you do.

How do you do it?

If I can't do it, I won't take it on.

You know what I mean?

So if I've taken on, like you called me and you said, I want you to be

chairperson this year. I want us to go in a different direction.

How can we do it? I thought about it. I talked to my team. I was like, all

right, what does our next year look like?

What can we do?

I want to be able to prioritize this. I think MAMI is such an incredible

destination for filmmakers from pan -India and film students and people who

fond of films, who love films, film fans.

How do we make it better? And that's just the idea of being able to do that

excited me. And I prioritized it. So the same way when I take, whether it's my

businesses, investments, producing, writing,

you know, mommy, any responsibility I take on, I divide the time in my life.

it really, really helps to have an excellent team. I could not have done

alone. I have had people in my life that have worked with me for decades long.

Many of them are in this room, two here, three there.

You know, my

team is my greatest strength and

they help me do all the things that I can so that I don't have to sit on

scheduling. I don't have to do the minutia. I can actually be the creative

I am.

But I also do like multitasking. So that's on me a little bit.

I do like, I'm greedy.

I don't like to give up opportunity.

So I kind of find time. But like I was telling you, finding a life -work

balance, I started in 24 hours. If I want to sleep, 8 hours. I like to have a

little bit of a 12 -hour turnaround.

10 hours of my life will be dedicated to all the various things that I have to

do. But after those 10 hours, I'm not available.

But in those 10 hours, I am so productive because I've figured out my

know what my priorities are and I know I'm going to hit those priorities in

those 10 hours.

So I think you really have to be like, it's like a mathematical equation when

comes to how I handle all the various things, you know.

It's like Jenga. You kind of have to fit it in and pull it out and hope it

doesn't fall.

Well, it hasn't fallen yet and it won't. Thank God.

Thank God. Thank you.

To the audience, Ved Ratna Pratap Singh.

Hi. Hi, Ved Ratna. How are you?

Hi, Priyanka. First of all, you're looking very stunning today.

Thank you. I just hope I could have a better view. Oh, no, I'll turn around

you right now.

Thank you.

My question to you is, what was the most challenging part during the making of

Citadel and how did you overcome it?

I think the most challenging part, honestly, was it was a very long time.

a year and a half of shooting and I'm used to like movies, you know, it takes

to 90 days.

This was a year and a half for six episodes. It was a lot of work.

It's a complex show.

Timelines jump, you know, characters jump.

So that was very challenging.

Also, we shot it during COVID. Do you remember how working during COVID was?

many of you worked during COVID?

Like 2021?

So do you remember what the environment was?

Bubbles and how you had to test and you couldn't talk to anyone.

And especially in the movies because as actors on a set, we're the only ones

that take off our masks.

So it was very scary too to go on set while everyone is masked and everyone is

in PPE.

We have to take off our masks and perform scenes.

And we were all working that time because all of you were consuming so

entertainment. There was like, what else is coming?

So we had to, we went back to work. And I remember I went back to

work in October of 2020, which was very terrifying.

And the first time I went to, this was Matrix, Matrix Resurrections. I flew to,

we were filming in Berlin. And I took that flight and I remember everyone was

masked, shield, PPE.

And it was really scary. And I remember crying and I was scared. I didn't want

to talk to anyone.

So filmmaking is such a joyous experience, Ved Ratnam. It's not like, I

we're not, it's not rocket science, okay? We're not saving lives or

We're just making movies. So it's fun.

It should be fun. No one should be getting hurt on a film set. No one

stressed on a film set. It should be a fun, amazing experience.

And this was tough because of the emotional setbacks, because of the

demands.

And also it was very physically demanding and challenging.

I think being able to work with an amazing team helped.

And keeping friends and family tested and closed really helped. And my dogs.

My dogs were with me. So that really helped me too.

Thank you for taking a night talking to you. Thank you.

Okay, Dixita Naresh Hathi.

Hi, Dixita.

Hi. I'm really nervous.

No, don't be nervous. Don't be nervous.

I am a huge fan of

yours and I really love you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

And my question to you is, what is the greatest life lesson you learned in your

journey of success?

Please give me the crown after I answer this.

I think the greatest life lesson that I've learned in my journey so far, which

kind of was saying is to really find

the reason why you go to work every day.

Don't just be a zombie. Don't be a robot.

Don't sit on your computer or in your cabin or in your job without feeling a

sense of passion.

my greatest life lesson. I'm lucky because I go from project to project. I

there are many people who have one job for a long time and that's hard to be

able to find excitement and passion. So then find something else. But to have a

sense of passion when you wake up in the morning for whatever, whether it's your

job, whether it's your life, whether it's your hobby, to have a sense of

gives you a sense of purpose.

And having a sense of purpose really leads to success, I think.

Do I win?

Okay, who's next?

Mansi Ittar.

Hi, thank you for pronouncing that correctly because people butcher it all

time. I think it's very important to pronounce people's names correctly.

have mispronounced my name a lot.

So my question to you is that you've had such a long and

illustrious journey and career and all of that. So like what's next for you?

Like would you love to like direct or write something?

I think that would be fun.

Scary. I mean for you. I don't think it'll be fun. It'll be terrifying.

Yes, I do aim to evolve.

I would like to direct. I have been offered opportunities to direct which I

declined because I think to direct I'm someone who's very intentional. I do a

lot of preparation.

I do a lot of homework.

I really immerse myself into anything that I take on.

And if I had to direct, I'll be gone from anything else for six months. So I

always tell my team, when are you giving me six months where you'll not come to

me for anything else?

Then I will direct.

But honestly speaking, I think it's something I want to do and I hope is in

future. But I want to be able to build a career

in America like the one I had and enjoy it in India. I worked with the best

filmmakers in the world. I worked with the best talent in the Indian film

industry. I have worked with filmmakers that inspire me and I call even today

for advice and I've been able to do a variety of genres and roles.

I have not been able to do that yet in Hollywood. I think I want to explore

myself and be able to in the next decade of my life build an illustrious

variety of parts or characters that I play.

Like, along with Citadel, I have a movie coming out called Love Again.

It comes out on May 12th. And that's a completely opposite character than

She's soft and it's a romantic comedy and she's vulnerable and, you know.

So that's what I mean. I want to be able to play different roles so I can be as

surprising to audiences there as I have hopefully been here.

Best of luck. Looking forward to your journey ahead.

Thank you.

What would the Priyanka Chopra directorial look like? I don't know.

I'm sweating thinking about it.

I don't know.

But I think I'm not someone who will take on something really large, I feel.

I feel like maybe I'll do a short or something so that I can dip my feet in,

learn a little bit. I'm a student of life.

Even, you know, you guys keep saying you've had such a long career, what is

there to do and whatever. I don't know everything. I don't know everything at

all. There's so much to learn, especially on the technical side of

I've been very lucky to be able to produce a lot of movies, which has given

an insight.

on the technical side of it, and I would love to have the creative technical

experience as well, but I think it requires learning, so I think I'll take

steps, you know, do maybe a short, see how that feels, and then maybe an

of TV, and then see how that feels, and I don't know. That's how I think. I'm a

practical person.

How lovely, though.

How exciting.

Let's see when it happens.

All right, next.

Last two.

Rahul Gopi.

Hi Priyanka, hope you're doing well. Before I direct the question, I would

to give a shout out to individuals like Aparna and Anupama to creating these

spaces for women and individuals so that people who are not from well -to -do

backgrounds can own up these spaces and create their own stories.

So thank you so much.

It's a fact.

They're both incredible women and leaders in their own way.

My question to you is, since you have been part of so many projects, what is

more difficult to get into that character and the psyche of that

get out of that character after the project is over?

To get into it. I'm not very method like that. It only happened to me once in my

life where my mother was like, snap out of it if you're going to come into my

house.

Which character?

Etra.

What were you doing?

Were you just behaving badly?

No, because Sonia didn't behave badly. But I used to walk in slowly.

I would talk deliberately.

I'd pick up my coffee cup like this.

I would look at you slowly. My mother was like, hello.

There's no camera.

Come back home.

That's the only time it happened to me. It was so funny and I was like, what am

I doing?

But I was so young and I was so nervous about that character. I think I really

over -thunk it and I used to bring it home and I really wanted to, you know,

figure it out and not get it wrong and I was working with Kareena and Akshay at

that time and they were like, you know, big movie stars and it was one of the

smaller, you know, it was a big step for me.

But my mother quickly brought me down to earth. And after that, you know, I

think she filmed me once.

Like she took a video of me talking to somebody like quietly and showed it to

me. And I was so embarrassed that I quickly realized that I have to leave my

characters on set. But getting into it is more of a challenge for me.

script what I like to do is I like to familiarize myself so much with the

character that I'm playing that she's like my best friend or my roommate you

know someone that I've known for years I will know whatever my character will do

in any given scenario because I familiarize myself with her backstory

walks how she talks what her clothes are like what her preferences are like And

then before I go on to set, I throw my script.

I don't think about it. I come in completely unprepared. I know my lines,

don't think about how I'm going to do the scene because if I know my character

and you put me in a scene, I know exactly how she will react to her

how she will react to her boyfriend. I know her behavior.

And then it gives me the ability to create magic.

If I practice it too much, at least that's my experience. There are many

different kinds of actors.

I don't benefit from too much practice and too much rehearsal because then I

become very robotic. So I'm a first three takes kind of girl.

After that, I need a break.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Is there one more? Yes.

Last one.

Gurkirat Singh Anand.

Hi, hi.

Hi, how are you? Okay, I just need a wee bit.

How are you?

So, hi, firstly, how are you? I'm very well, how are you? I'm fine, I'm fine.

So, as an actress and as a viewer, one genre which you will never get tired of,

what would that be?

Real -life crime dramas.

Murder documentaries.

Yeah, I don't know why women, we like to watch crime dramas so much.

But that's one I don't tire of. Like I can watch reruns of FVU and Law and

and like all of that.

I'll always find it on television for some reason.

But another one that I don't think I'll ever tire of is like, I think good

romantic comedies. I love a good romantic movie. I love having tears in

because my heart is full. I love like, you know, walking out and...

skip in my step because the hero and the heroine found each other like those

i never tire of like i

love watching a good i just recently was doing um you know, reruns of movies.

We do that in my house. We watch movies a lot and we watch shows a lot, but we

were doing, and I watched Jerry Maguire recently and it just reminded me of what

an amazing movie. And it reminded me of my teenage years that time. It was my

favorite movie, still is, for, you know, English language movies for the longest

time. But I love that warm, fuzzy, blanket -like feeling, you know, when

watch a romantic movie.

Priyanka, thank you. And I think I speak for everyone in the room when I say you

had us at hello.

Thank you so much. Thank you all for being such a wonderful audience.

And I know you have tons of stuff still to go. Just two more things.

Like I said, world domination plans always. Yes, ma 'am.