Priyanka Chopra: “I don’t have everything figured out. I take risks and I enjoy them”

After two decades in the movie business, Priyanka Chopra Jonas remains relentlessly productive not just as a trailblazing actor, but as a serial entrepreneur who opened a restaurant and launched a beauty label despite a pandemic. Her next mission: to shine the spotlight on the South Asian experience. When Priyanka Chopra Jonas was in the ninth grade at a school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the kids in her world history class cornered her with questions about India. “Dumb questions,” she clarifies, her voice measured, with only the slightest hint of fury. “Like, ‘Do you ride elephants and cows to school?’ They couldn’t believe that we had cars. I was so mad. I had a project coming up for my final grade and I went home and stayed up all night. I printed out images of modern India: of Mumbai, technology, and all of the cool stuff we have. I remember I got an A on that presentation.” The parallels to today—her resilience, drive, thirst for excellence and desire to represent her country well—aren’t lost on her. “I’ve always felt like I’m an ambassador for India,” she adds. “It’s something I’ll continue doing as long as I can.”

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