When at 21, Priyanka Chopra found playing a villain in Aitraaz ‘intimidating’

Lately, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has been making headlines. While the actress was recently in Mumbai to promote her new Amazon Prime Video spy thriller television series Citadel, co-starring Hollywood actor Richard Madden, among other engagements, she has also signed another Amazon Studios actioner - Heads of State - in which she will star alongside wrestler-turned-actor John Cena and actor Idris Elba. But did you know, Priyanka - who is now considered a global icon - had found playing a wicked character in the 2004 film Aitraaz quite ‘intimidating’.     

Also read: What does Priyanka Chopra have to say to Citadel India’s Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu?

Speaking candidly on The Anupam Kher Show, Priyanka had once said, “In Aitraaz, I played the villain - the bad guy in the story. Initially, I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. I was just 21 at that time and playing the negative character [Sonia Kapoor Roy] was quite intimidating for me. On top of that, Sonia was a sexually forward woman and I had come from a relatively conservative family, so I was quite unsure if I should do that role. That said, it also made me realise that I could contribute towards that role. My movies have been my film school. It took four-five years to understand that I can also contribute to acting. Before that it was mostly about just delivering my lines in front of the camera.” 

It is often said that Priyanka took Bollywood by storm with Aitraaz, making a mark in the industry. So much so that her performance in the Abbas-Mustan romantic thriller film eclipsed the other stars - Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan - in the film.  

Also read: Citadel star Priyanka Chopra on speaking about her ‘tumultuous’ Bollywood journey in the controversial podcast: I was ‘confident enough’ to share it now

Opening up about her insecurities during her initial years in the industry, Priyanka - who entered cinema after she won the Miss World pageant in 2000 - said, “I have always had low self-esteem, either because of the colour of my skin or the way I look. So, during my early days on the set I would remain a little petrified. That was also because I didn’t know a lot of people around at that time. So, the only time I would feel powerful was between action and cut.”

Cut to now, David Weil and the Russo Brothers’ Citadel is releasing on April 28. Meanwhile, Heads of State is written by Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, and directed by Ilya Naishuller. The narrative is based on a story by Harrison Query. Shooting for the film is reportedly starting next month.