In June this year, Priyanka Chopra was ranked No.1 on The Hollywood Reporter’s ‘inaugural Top Actors Chart’, which is a ranking of the most popular actors on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus, with global data provided by social media analytics company MVPindex. The chart blends social engagement on the different platforms, along with weekly additions of followers/subscribers. She was followed by Dwayne Johnson on the No.2 slot, turning the table on the previous week’s ranking, when she was No.2 and Johnson No.1.
Priyanka’s top ranking came after a whopping 20 percent hike in all conversation related metrics, including comments on Instagram and Facebook and mentions on the Twitter. It followed her participation in Gap’s new ‘Bridging the Gap’ campaign, alongside Wiz Khalifa, Jasmine sanders and others. The campaign’s objective was to embrace individuality and optimism, about which she wrote the following on her Twitter post thus: ‘The reality of our world today is that there are many bridges to cross and gaps to fill.’
For India’s ‘desi’ girl, Priyanka Chopra, Hollywood has provided the leap that most Indian stars aspire for. Her international outing began with the role of Alex Parrish in the ABC series Quantico in 2015. Earlier this year, she made her Hollywood live-action film debut, playing the antagonist Victoria Leeds in the action comedy ‘Baywatch’ opposite Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. The near future seems brighter too, with several new projects in various stages of production. She is starring in ‘A Kid Like Jake’, a film adaptation of Daniel Pearle’s play, alongside Jim Parsons, Claire Danes and Octavia Spencer. She will also star in Todd Strauss-Schulson’s romantic comedy ‘Isn’t it Romantic’, opposite Liam Hemsworth, Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine.
She has also taken up production seriously, with over a dozen regional films in various languages under her production company. She has signed Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury to direct a film starring her and is all set to portray astronaut Kalpana Chawla in an untitled biopic and writer-poetess Amrita Pritam in ‘Gustakhiyan’.
Priyanka Chopra, who turned 35 on 18 July, is one of India’s highest paid and most popular celebrities, having earned international fame in recent years with her roles in TV series Quantico and Baywatch. After winning the Miss World 2000 pageant, she has earned recognition as an actress, singer, film producer and philanthropist. She is the recipient of a National Film Award and five Filmfare Awards. In 2016, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, and the Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
She has worked with UNICEF for the last ten years and was appointed as the national and global Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights in 2010 and 2016. She has championed various causes and is particularly outspoken about gender equality and feminism. In one of her interviews, she is quoted to have said: “I feel that women need to have a voice. That’s the basic right of the women, and that’s global… For centuries, women have always been told to be a certain way or behave a certain way, and it’s time women decide what they want themselves individually.”