Priyanka Chopra calls SS Rajamouli’s Varanasi ‘career-defining’ film; but can it be Aitraaz, Mary Kom or Barfi?

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, currently promoting her OTT film The Bluff, is also speaking about her upcoming Indian movie, Varanasi. The SS Rajamouli directorial, starring Mahesh Babu in the lead role with Prithviraj Sukumaran as the antagonist, features Priyanka in the role of Mandakini. While Priyanka has assured that her role will be ‘career-defining,’ the real question is – can it come close to her performance in Bollywood movies like Aitraaz, Mary Kom, Barfi or Bajirao Mastani (to name a few)?

Priyanka Chopra calls Varanasi her ‘career-defining’ film

At The Bluff premiere in Los Angeles, Priyanka spoke about her upcoming Indian film Varanasi. The SS Rajamouli directorial, she defines, as one of her ‘career-defining’ movies. “The filmmaker’s name is SS Rajamouli, sir, and he is one of the best that we have in India. His movie is going to be really career-defining for me, I think. I am very excited about it,” the actress shared. “This is unlike anything I’ve ever done. We travel from like Antarctica to … And just the worlds that he creates are so larger than life, and nobody has the vision that he does. So even I’m excited to see more,” she told Variety.

Priyanka Chopra’s real career-defining movies from Bollywood

Priyanka Chopra Jonas left her mark throughout her journey in Bollywood. She stunned one-and-all with her bold avatar early on in Aitraaz (2004). In a world where heroines were expected to be loyal and true to their lovers, Priyanka broke the barrier and played the true gold-digger in the movie co-starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Needless to say, her performance in the movie became the talk of B-Town. Within two years, she left a mark with Don – where her character Roma Bhagat got tagged as ‘junglee billi.’

2012 also became a peak defining moment for Priyanka, with her performance in Barfi. Her role as Jhilmil, an autistic woman who keeps to herself, while trusting her childhood friend Murphy (Ranbir Kapoor) the most, earned the actress numerous praises, till date. Two years within Barfi’s release, Priyanka landed the biopic of Mary Kom and as expected of her, she did absolute justice to the role. Another career-defining role came to Priyanka when she stole the spotlight from Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani (2015) even when reduced to a supporting character, Kashibai. It is interesting to note that by this point, Priyanka was already balancing a career in both Bollywood as well as Hollywood (Quantico).

Whether Varanasi can come close to any of her movies from the Hindi film industry remains to be seen. If yes, it is definitely going to be something worth watching.

Varanasi FAQs:

Q: When is the release date for Varanasi?

A: Varanasi is currently slated for a theatrical release on April 7, 2027.

Q: Is Priyanka Chopra returning to Indian cinema with Varanasi?

A: Yes. Varanasi marks Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ return to Indian films after a six-year hiatus.

Q: What is Priyanka Chopra's role in Varanasi?

A: In Varanasi, Priyanka Chopra portrays a character named Mandakini, described as a "mysterious thief" or archaeologist.