During the initial phase of her career, Priyanka Chopra was told she always had the option to choose another career.
Priyanka Chopra has always found support in her mother, Madhu Chopra, ever since she stepped into the world of glamour. Madhu Chopra has now admitted that it was nothing but ‘blind leading the blind’ in the start of her career as both Priyanka and she were newcomers to Mumbai. They had no idea about how the film fraternity works.
“Both she and I were new to the film industry and the beauty industry. So, it was like one blind man leading another blind man. I had studied law and knew finance. So, I used to oversee her legal matters even though she had good lawyers. I also overlooked her finances because I had knowledge. I had to be with her everywhere, be it narrations or meetings,” Madhu told Josh Talks Asha.
Madhu added, “One day we decided that she (Priyanka) will not have any meetings, she will not go out anywhere, she will not fraternise after 7-7.30 in the evening. She stood firm on this decision. Aur fir kya karegi, kya nahi karegi, tehzeeb-tameez ke dayare ke andar, vo usne nahi kiye (Also, things which she won’t do while staying within her limits, she didn’t do). She lost many films because she refused to do some scenes which she thought were not worth it,” the doting mother added.
And guess what? Priyanka was told she always had the option to choose another career. “We always told her, this is not ‘Do or die’. You can always go back, take up studies, or take up some other career. You have a lot of options. If not this, then that,” Madhu shared.
Madhu Chopra made sure her daughter grows up with abundant self-confidence and self-love. She recalled, “Tum apne aap ko chavanni manogi, chavanni jaise behave karogi, toh duniya tumhe chavanni jaise treat karegi, apne aap ko rupaiya samjho, bada samjho, rupaiya jaisa behave karo… be proud (If you will consider yourself to be less, people will treat you like that. Think big and behave accordingly).” She signed off by saying, “We drew a line there. You cannot misbehave or ill-treat anyone. And we stick by it even today.”
Nonetheless, Priyanka too made sure her mother grows in her career, and her mother now wants to enjoy her role of a grandmother to Malti Marie Chopra.