Priyanka Chopra on Citadel: Felt such a sense of respect and shock that there wasn’t a scene where I was a damsel in distress

Priyanka Chopra Jonas has superhuman abilities and can accomplish whatever a hero can. But it's not her talent that sets her apart from the heroes; rather, it's the lack of opportunities she and other talented leading ladies face. Her adherence to the archetype of the heroic female character has characterised the actor's 20-year career. Therefore, she jumped at the chance to finally break the glass ceiling when Citadel presented itself.

Priynka told Mid Day that far fewer roles are written for strong female protagonists who can handle tough situations without male help. She can't tell how many times she has saved Richard Madden's character in the series if one hasn't seen it. That, she says, is the whole objective.

Priyanka is pleased to have a role that is on par with that of the male lead at last. Jennifer Salke, president of Amazon Studios, and the Russo Brothers, the show's executive producers, informed her that there would be no special considerations for her character simply because she is a woman. They assured the actor that her protagonist would fare better since she is a woman.

Priyanka and Richard portray the members of the intelligence agency Citadel, who have had their memories wiped clean, in the action thriller available on Amazon Prime Video. The actor considers herself fortunate to have landed the role, as few directors have the imagination and courage to create female action protagonists.

There wasn't a single moment where she was the helpless damsel in distress, and it made her feel so honoured and shocked. The actor has helped a lot of underdogs come out on top. It felt good to play the role of hero for a change.

One of the streaming giant's most popular shows, Citadel, has been translated into other languages and combined with similar shows from across the world. Raj-DK will be in charge of directing the Indian version, which stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha.

Priyanka has never worked on something on the scale of Citadel, although she has produced several very successful films in India. As a result, she feels neither threatened nor intimidated. The scariest part, though, was trying to prove to everyone that I belonged here. The actor always enters a new role wondering how she can further flesh out her characters and make them believable.