Priyanka Chopra recalls de-humanising incident of a Bollywood director telling her stylist “show her panties”

Priyanka Chopra, a global icon with a remarkable career spanning Bollywood and Hollywood, recently opened up about a disturbing incident from the early days of her acting journey. Speaking at the Forbes Power Women’s Summit, she recalled a shocking and ‘dehumanising’ experience when she was just 19 and new to the film industry.

Priyanka Chopra recalls an uncomfortable encounter with Bollywood director at 19

The Citadel actress shared that during the shoot of a film, she had an unsettling encounter with the director. “I was speaking to the director and I said, would you speak to my stylist and just explain to him what you want in terms of clothes and stuff. I’m standing right next to him,” Priyanka explained.

Recalling the director’s comments, she continued, “He picks up the phone and goes, ‘Listen, people are going to come into the movies to watch her when she shows her panties. So it needs to be really short so that I can see her panties. You know those people sitting up front? They should be able to see her panties.’ And he said it like four times. And it’s not even pretty in Hindi. It’s worse.”

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At just 18 or 19 years old, Priyanka was deeply affected by the incident. “I went back home that night and said, ‘Mom, I can’t look at his face. If that’s what he thinks of me, if that’s how small I am, there’s no space for growth.’ And I just walked out of the movie and said, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t work.’ And I’ve till date never worked with him.”

She added, “Whatever I decide to be will be my choice. How I want to be perceived will be my choice. Perception is reality and my perception is going to be my identity.”

Priyanka Chopra on going through a dark phase

This wasn’t the first time Priyanka has spoken about the challenges she faced in her career. She has previously shared details of a ‘dark phase’ following surgery to remove a nasal polyp, which changed her appearance and led to significant mental health struggles.

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Speaking on The Howard Stern Show in May, Priyanka said, “This thing happens, and my face looks completely different, and I went into a deep, deep depression.”

She credited her father, Ashok Chopra, and Bollywood director Anil Sharma for helping her through that difficult time and for supporting her in rebuilding her confidence in the industry.

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