Was being pushed into corner in Hindi film industry: Priyanka Chopra Jonas on moving to US
Los Angeles (PTI): After spending almost two decades in Hindi cinema, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas says she decided to move to Hollywood as filmmakers back home were "not casting" her and she needed a break from the exhausting politics of the industry.
"I had beef with people," Priyanka said on the comedy podcast "Armchair Expert" with Hollywood actors Dax Shepard and Monica Padman.
When Shepard asked what made her start from scratch in an unknown territory, the popular Indian actor said she had never spoken about the reasons in public before.
"I've never said this, so I'm going to say it because you all make me feel safe..." she began.
The National Award winner said she was in the zone of being a "serious actor" and not doing "mega movies" when she got a call from her current manager Anjula Acharia while on the Coorg set of Vishal Bhardwaj's 2011 movie "7 Khoon Maaf".
"I spoke to this woman. I'd recorded a demo because I just love music. She goes 'I love this demo. Would you be open to music?' I was like 'What does that even mean?' I've never been in the studio for real. She flew down... I was like 'I'll be a rockstar if I think I can.
"I was being pushed into a corner in the (Hindi film) industry. I had people not casting me for reasons, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break," Priyanka, who started her career in Los Angeles as a singer in 2012, told Shepard and Padman.
The 40-year-old actor, now based out of Los Angeles, said she was signed by American record label Interscope Records where its founder Jimmy Iovine was her talent scout. She gained prominence through music videos "In My City" and "Exotic".
"This music thing gave me an opportunity to go into another part of the world, not crave for the movies I didn't want to get but I would require to schmooze certain clubs and cliques of people. It would require grovelling and I had worked a long time by then that I didn't feel like I wanted to do it.
"So when this music thing came I was like 'F*** it, I'm going to America' and Interscope was amazing, they threw the building at me. I worked with Pitbull, Will.I.Am, Pharrell, Mathew Koma, and many incredible artistes. I had dinner with Bruce Springsteen and his wife, I met Jay-Z and Beyonce," she recalled.
Priyanka later went on to become the first South Asian actor to headline an American network drama series in her Hollywood debut through ABC's thriller drama series "Quantico" in 2015.
Priyanka said she was "living the dream" through the music, but she soon realised that she was much better at acting, her "day job".
"I got completely caught up in this music thing and thought 'I am a pop star now, forget about this movie thing', quickly to realise I was much better at my day job," she added.
The actor said Iovine of Interscope Records asked her to look for representation in acting since had been living in Los Angeles for over two years then.
"I was having trouble back home anyway with being cast in the kind of movies I didn't want to be cast in. And, Jimmy helped me get in with CAA (Creative Artists Agency), they signed me on and it started."
Priyanka then made her Hollywood film debut with 2017's "Baywatch". She most recently starred in "The Matrix: Resurrections" and will next be seen in the Prime Video series "Citadel", opposite Richard Madden of "Game of Thrones" fame.
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Indian FS Vikram Misri locks X account amid vicious trolling campaign; Daughter also targeted
New Delhi: India's Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, has protected his account on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) following a barrage of online abuse allegedly orchestrated by right-wing trolls. The coordinated harassment started after a ceasefire was announced between India and Pakistan on May 10, following a period of heightened military tensions dubbed "Operation Sindoor."
Vikram Misri should be Abused. He took the decision of Ceasefire, PM was just a messenger!#VikramMisri pic.twitter.com/m4ZzzPnrsy
— Arpit Sharma (@iarpitspeaks_) May 11, 2025
The trolls are said to have dug up old tweets of Misri and his family and launched personal attacks. The situation escalated further as Misri's daughter was also dragged into the controversy. Reports on social media allege that her mobile number was shared, and she was subjected to vicious abuse. Social media discussions suggested that the diplomat's daughter had previously advocated for Rohingya rights, which was purportedly used as a pretext by trolls.
The online troll against a top-ranking diplomat and his family has drawn widespread condemnation. Many have pointed out the irony of trolls, who were previously lauding Misri as a "patriotic Kashmiri Pandit," suddenly turning against him.
Several public figures and social media users have voiced their disgust at the targeted harassment.
Asaduddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), defended the Foreign Secretary, stating on X: "Mr Vikram Misri is a decent and an Honest Hard working Diplomat working tirelessly for our Nation. Our Civil Servants work under the Executive this must be remembered & they shouldn’t be blamed for the decisions taken by The Executive /or any Political leadership running Watan E Aziz."
Mr Vikram Misri is a decent and an Honest Hard working Diplomat working tirelessly for our Nation.
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) May 11, 2025
Our Civil Servants work under the Executive this must be remembered & they shouldn’t be blamed for the decisions taken by The Executive /or any Political leadership running Watan E… https://t.co/yfM3ygfiyt
Journalist Abhisar Sharma also strongly condemned the trolling. In a statement shared on social media, he remarked (translated from Hindi): "Now the limit has been crossed — is the 'sanskaari' propaganda machine now trolling Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri? Don't you have any shame? Vikram Misri is the same person who was strongly presenting India's diplomatic image to the world during this crisis. He was India's face at the international level... And now questions are being raised against him? ...This trolling is not just unethical, it is an attack on the morale of professionals serving the country. Those so-called 'sanskaari' goons targeting a respected officer like the Foreign Secretary, their patriotism is just a sham. They have no concern for the country or service — their loyalty is only to hatred, and their blind devotion is only to one political party. Those who are making obscene comments about the family of a senior officer, even his children, are actually a disgrace to society. There can be no bigger traitors than them. Shame on you — in the name of 'patriotism' you are only spewing venom."
अब तो हद हो गई है — अब संस्कारी प्रचारतंत्र विदेश सचिव विक्रम मिस्री @VikramMisri को ट्रोल कर रहा है? तुम्हें ज़रा भी शर्म नहीं आती?
— Abhisar Sharma (@abhisar_sharma) May 11, 2025
विक्रम मिस्री वही व्यक्ति हैं जो इस संकट में भारत की कूटनीतिक छवि को दुनिया के सामने मजबूती से रख रहे थे। वो भारत का चेहरा थे इंटरनेशनल स्तर पर,… pic.twitter.com/xfTpulPO06
Pratik Sinha, co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, in his post on X said, "36 hours ago, media was telling Modi supporters that Karachi has been destroyed. Since last evening they are having to not only deal with the fact that all of that was a lie, but also that Trump is showing Modi his place. How do they express what they are feeling? Through such toxicity, attacking a bureaucrat and his daughter, because they don't have the ethical bone to call a spade a spade, that is nothing can happen without Modi giving a green light."
36 hours ago, media was telling Modi supporters that Karachi has been destroyed. Since last evening they are having to not only deal with the fact that all of that was a lie, but also that Trump is showing Modi his place. How do they express what they are feeling? Through such… https://t.co/tyqYqVe3xf
— Pratik Sinha (@free_thinker) May 11, 2025
Alt News Co-Founder Mohammed Zubair in his post on X lamented, "First they went after Himanshi Narwal, The Wife of the Navy Officer Vinay Narwal. And now the same trolls are going after the Foreign Secretary of India, Vikram Misri and his daughter, Abusing and sharing her mobile number."
Foreign Secretary of India, Vikram Misri has now protected his account.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 11, 2025
Reason: Right wing trolls were digging out his old tweets with his family and abusing them. https://t.co/fuAE3A8fYc pic.twitter.com/yQpfQqaKKq
Numerous other social media users expressed their outrage.
One user described it as "the most heartbreaking thing," questioning the "intolerance" and emphasising that Misri is a civil servant, not a political leader responsible for government decisions.
There are growing calls for the government to take stringent action against those involved in the abuse and ensure the safety and dignity of its officials and their families.
