Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra (pronounced [prɪˈjaːŋkaː ˈtʃoːpɽaː]; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian film actress and singer, and the winner of the Miss World pageant of 2000. Through her film career, Chopra has become one of Bollywood's highest-paid actresses and one of the most popular celebrities in India. She has received numerous accolades, including a National Film Award for Best Actress and Filmfare Awards in four categories. Chopra was born in Jamshedpur to parents who were both physicians in the Indian Army, causing the family to move frequently during her childhood, but she considers Bareilly her real home. As a teenager she lived for some years with an aunt in the United States. In 2000, her mother entered her into the Femina Miss India contest, in which she finished second and took the Miss India World title. She was then entered into the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned Miss World 2000 and Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty—Asia & Oceania, becoming the fifth Indian to win the competition. Although Chopra at one time aspired to study engineering or psychiatry, she accepted offers to join the Indian film industry, which came as a result of her pageant wins, making her acting debut in the Tamil film Thamizhan in 2002. The following year, she starred in The Hero, her first Hindi film release, and followed it with the box-office hit Andaaz. She subsequently earned critical praise for the role of a seductress in the 2004 thriller Aitraaz. By 2006, Chopra had established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema with starring roles in the highly successful films Krrish and Don. After a series of unsuccessful films, she received critical acclaim for the role of a troubled model in the 2008 drama Fashion, which marked a significant turning point in her career. She later gained recognition for her versatility in portraying a range of unconventional characters, including a feisty Marathi woman in the 2009 caper thriller Kaminey, a serial killer in the 2011 neo-noir 7 Khoon Maaf, an autistic woman in the 2012 romantic comedy Barfi!, and a boxer in the 2014 biographical sports drama Mary Kom. In addition to acting in films, she participates in stage shows, has hosted a reality show on television, and has written columns for newspapers. Chopra has engaged in philanthropic activities, and was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights on 10 August 2010. She released her first single "In My City" in 2012. Her second single "Exotic" debuted in 2013, and charted in countries such as the United States and Canada.