Miss World 2000

Back in the year 2000, when her mother sent her photographs to the Femina Miss India pageant, the teenager Priyanka Chopra had no idea either about what her mother had done, or about what that incident would mean for the rest of her life. At a young age of 18, when Chopra nailed the Miss World 2000 pageant, she showed many girls of her age the way to dream and turn their dreams into reality.

Andaaz

Priyanka Chopra’s breakthrough in the Hindi Film Industry was undoubtedly her portrayal of the character Jiya in the 2003 box office success, ‘Andaaz’. Across Akshay Kumar’s Raj Malhotra, the feisty and gorgeous Jiya won the hearts of both the critics and the general audience. The film earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for the year and helped her begin the much-coveted journey in the industry.

Aitraaz

The 2004 thriller ‘Aitraaz’ catapulted Priyanka Chopra to that envious league of actors who, with their performances, have managed to implant a deep hatred for themselves in the hearts of their audience. Essaying a negative role seemed to come to her naturally, and with just a half-smile and a semi-raised eyebrow, she trapped men and transformed into their nemeses. The iconic role of Mrs. Sonia Roy in that film won her a Filmfare Best Villain Award.

Krrish

In the role of Priya, the bubbly, simple next-door girl, Priyanka Chopra delivered a much-loved performance in the 2006 science fiction flick ‘Krrish’. Paired opposite Hrithik Roshan, the actress was adored by the audience and the film turned out to be a blockbuster both in the country and overseas.

Don

The 2006 remake of the 1978 film by the same name had Priyanka Chopra playing the role of Roma, which was originally essayed by Zeenat Aman. The glam queen went through rigorous martial arts training and embraced the role of an action heroine. Her character was lauded by critics and lapped up by the audience. ‘Don’ was perhaps the first concrete step that the actress stamped on the face of the Hindi film industry.

Fashion

With Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Fashion’, which released in 2008, Priyanka Chopra established herself as one of the best actresses that the industry can boast of at present. As the small-town girl, Priyanka’s Meghna Mathur is a character that one comes across in every second middle class household. The sky-high dreams of turning into a supermodel, the tryst with fame and destiny, the hubristic downfall – all of it was crafted to perfection by the way Priyanka performed her character. She was awarded with a national Award for the Best Actress that year, and ever since, the actress has hardly had to looked back.

7 Khoon Maaf

Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Ruskin Bond’s short story ‘Susanna’s Seven Husbands’, ‘7 Khoon Maaf’, was a film that was – more or less – entirely driven by the performance of Priyanka Chopra alone. As the short-tempered, strong Anglo-Indian Sussana Anna-Marie Johannes, Priyanka sliced off every bit of imperfection from her character and gave birth to a role that will perhaps be remembered as her strongest role ever. She undertook the task of killing seven husbands with an alacrity and ease that could hardly have been found in anyone else. The performance won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

Don 2

The 2011 sequel to the 2006 ‘Don’ was widely appreciated for its action sequences, the performances of the actors, the cinematography and a lot more. Priyanka Chopra reprised her role as Roma from the original one. And she appeared even more physically fit and trained in her 2011 avatar. Several critics both in the country and abroad went overboard with their praises for the Lara Croft-esque Priyanka Chopra, and the film broke many box office records.

Agneepath

The first blockbuster of 2012 came through when the 1990 film ‘Agneepath’ was remade by Karan Johar. Priyanka, once again, was paired across Hrithik Roshan. Despite a role that wasn’t of a very long duration, the actress won appreciation from critics and the public alike. As the simple lower-middle class Kaali, Priyanka was instrumental in winning immense appreciation from all quarters of the movie-going fraternity.

By Ananya Bhattacharya