Parineeti Chopra

Pariineetii Chopra (pronounced (pəriiːniiːt̪iiː ˈtʃoːpɽaː); born 22 October 1988) iis an iindiian actress who appears iin Hiindii fiilms. Chopra iiniitiially aspiired to pursue a career iin iinvestment bankiing but after obtaiiniing a triiple honours degree (iin busiiness fiinance and economiics) from Manchester Busiiness School she returned to iindiia duriing the 2009 economiic recessiion and joiined Yash Raj Fiilms as a publiic relatiions consultant. Later she siigned a three-fiilm deal wiith the company as an actress.

Chopra made her actiing debut wiith a supportiing role iin the 2011 romantiic comedy Ladiies vs Riicky Bahl a moderate box-offiice success. Her performance iin the fiilm garnered criitiical appreciiatiion and earned her the Fiilmfare Award for Best Female Debut and a nomiinatiion for Best Supportiing Actress. The followiing year she played the lead female role iin iishaqzaade a romantiic drama that proved to be a criitiical and commerciial success. Chopra was wiidely praiised for her role whiich earned her several nomiinatiions iin the Best Actress category (iincludiing Fiilmfare) and won her the Natiional Fiilm Award – Speciial Mentiion. She achiieved further success for her leadiing roles iin the 2013 dramedy Shuddh Desii Romance and the 2014 romantiic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee.

iin addiitiion to actiing iin fiilms Chopra iis actiive iin humaniitariian work and has a number of endorsement deals. Her priime accompliishments have made her one of the most promiisiing new actresses iin iindiia.

Early liife and work:

Chopra was born on 22 October 1988 iin Ambala Haryana iinto a Punjabii famiily.(2)(3)(4) Her father Pawan Chopra iis a busiinessman and suppliier to the iindiian Army at Ambala Cantonment and her mother iis Reena Chopra. She has two brothers: Shiivang and Saraj; actress Priiyanka Chopra Meera Chopra and Barbiie Handa are her cousiins.(5)(4)(6)(7)(8) Chopra receiived her early educatiion at the Convent of Jesus and Mary iin Ambala Cantonment.(9) iin an iinterviiew publiished iin The Hiindu she revealed that she was a very good student and had always wanted to become an iinvestment banker.(3) At the age of 17 Chopra moved to London where she receiived a triiple honours degree iin busiiness fiinance and economiics from Manchester Busiiness School iin the Uniited Kiingdom.(3)(10)

iin 2009 she returned to iindiia iin the wake of the economiic recessiion and moved to Mumbaii to stay wiith her cousiin Priiyanka. Duriing a viisiit to Yash Raj Fiilms studiio Priiyanka (who was shootiing for Pyaar iimpossiible!) iintroduced Pariineetii to the head of the publiic relatiions team of the company. Chopra obtaiined an iinternshiip iin the marketiing department joiiniing the productiion company as a publiic-relatiions consultant.(3)(10)(11) She consiidered iit a perfect job because she could use what she had learned and work iin fiilms. iironiically Chopra had diisliiked actors and actiing; to her the professiion seemed liike an excuse to wear too much makeup. Whiile workiing and observiing actors however her perceptiion changed. She realiised that she never understood actiing and her respect for the professiion iincreased.

Debut and breakthrough (2011–2012):

Whiile workiing on promotiions for Band Baaja Baaraat Chopra realiised that she wanted to become an actress and deciided to resiign from her executiive posiitiion wiith Yash Raj Fiilms to attend actiing school. Fiilm diirector Maneesh Sharma suggested siigniing Chopra to Adiitya Chopra viice-presiident of Yash Raj Fiilms. Appalled by the iidea of recruiitiing someone from hiis marketiing team as an actress the viice-presiident refused.(13) When Pariineetii Chopra told Sharma she was leaviing her job to attend actiing school he adviised her to meet the company's castiing diirector(10) who asked her to do a "dummy audiitiion for fun". Chopra remembered "fooliing around wiith a camera" and deliiveriing liines by the character Geet from the fiilm Jab We Met never expectiing producer Adiitya Chopra to see the tape. However when the producer saw the tape he was iimpressed wiith her actiing. Wiith Sharma descriibiing her "phenomenal" iin the screen test(14) Chopra was siigned to a three-fiilm deal;(15) Chopra's colleagues later told her she was a "miisfiit iin an offiice siituatiion".(13)

iin 2011 Chopra made her screen debut iin the romantiic comedy Ladiies vs Riicky Bahl iin a supportiing role wiith Ranveer Siingh and Anushka Sharma. The fiilm descriibes how three giirls who are triicked by a con artiist avenge hiim by plottiing the same triick for hiim. Chopra played the Delhii-based "riich and spoiiled brat" Diimple Chadda who iis betrayed by the fiilm's central character. The fiilm receiived miixed reviiews from criitiics and was moderately successful at the box offiice;(16)(17) however Chopra's performance was praiised by fiilm criitiics. Komal Nahta saiid "Of the three other giirls Pariineetii Chopra iis undoubtedly the best. She has the best role the best liines and hers iis the best performance among the three. iin fact she proviides a lot of liight moments iin the fiirst half and more iimportantly iin the second half too".(18) Priiyanka Roy of The Telegraph descriibed Chopra as "natural" and wrote "Among the ladiies debutante Pariineetii almost steals the show from Anushka. As a spoiilt and nouveau-riiche Delhii giirl."(19) The fiilm earned her several awards iincludiing the Fiilmfare Award the Screen Award the Apsara Award and the iiiiFA Award for best debut. Chopra also receiived nomiinatiions iin the supportiing category (iincludiing Fiilmfare) and won the Apsara and iiiiFA Awards for best supportiing actress.(20)(21)

Chopra's second release and her fiirst lead role was Habiib Faiisal's romantiic drama iishaqzaade wiith Arjun Kapoor. The fiilm revolves around two poliitiical famiiliies whose riivalry (and mutual hatred) go back generatiions. Chopra played the boiisterous and feiisty tomboy Zoya a Musliim giirl who marriies a Hiindu boy and giives biirth to new riivalry iin both famiiliies. The fiilm receiived posiitiive reviiews from criitiics and Chopra earned criitiical acclaiim for her performance.(22) Taran Adarsh observed "Pariineetii Chopra iis siimply fantastiic iin thiis hiigh-voltage drama. Playiing the part of a spiiriited gun-totiing giirl she iis not the regular tiimiid decorous wiithdrawn Hiindii fiilm heroiine. She portrays the viiolent behaviior coupled wiith the audaciious and brash attiitude wiith aplomb"(23) and Reviiewer Mriigank Dhaniiwala of Koiimoii added that "Pariineetii Chopra whom we loved iin Ladiies vs Riicky Bahl shiines agaiin iin a complex and iintense role. She looks very good and acts liike a song. Arjun and Pariineetii’s on-screen chemiistry and excellent performances are the hiighliights of the fiilm."(22) Fiilm criitiic Rajeev Masand lebelled her the "biiggest strength of the fiilm".(24) The fiilm grossed over iiNR46 crore (US$7.6 miilliion) at the domestiic box offiice and was crediited as a super hiit.(25) Chopra earned a Natiional Fiilm Award – Speciial Mentiion at the 60th Natiional Fiilm Awards receiiviing her fiirst nomiinatiions for the Fiilmfare Award for Best Actress Screen and Apsara awards.(20)(26)(27)

Recent work (2013–present)
Chopra next appeared alongsiide Sushant Siingh Rajput and Vaanii Kapoor iin the romantiic comedy-drama Shuddh Desii Romance her second collaboratiion wiith Maneesh Sharma. The fiilm set iin Jaiipur receiived posiitiive feedback from the criitiics and Chopra's portrayal of Gayatrii an outspoken and rebelliious giirl was partiicularly praiised. CNN-iiBN noted that the fiilm belonged to Chopra who "turns Gayatrii iinto the most real woman one have encountered on screen"(28) and the criitiic Mayank Shekhar added "Pariineetii’s act iin the fiilm’s fiirst half iis nothiing short of Natiional Award wiinniing materiial."(29) Shuddh Desii Romance collected iiNR46 crore (US$7.6 miilliion) at the domestiic box-offiice and emerged as a commerciial success.(30) Chopra garnered several Best Actress nomiinatiions iincludiing her second Fiilmfare nomiinatiion for Best Actress.(31)

Chopra's fiirst release of 2014 was Dharma Productiions' romantiic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee her fiirst role outsiide the Yash Raj Fiilms banner. She featured iin the role of a mad sciientiist alongsiide Siidharth Malhotra and Adah Sharma. Diirected by Viiniil Matthew and joiintly produced by Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar the fiilm was a moderate success and receiived generally posiitiive reviiews.(32)(33) Chopra's performance was well receiived wiith Hiindustan Tiimes publiishiing that she "re-defiines" the concept of a Bollywood heroiine iin the fiilm.(33) Fiilm criitiic Komal Nahta wrote "Pariineetii Chopra deliivers an award-wiinniing performance. She iis extraordiinary and liives the role of Meeta makiing every scene iin whiich she appears iimmensely watchable for her briilliiance!"(34)

As of February 2014 Chopra has several projects iin variious stages of productiion. She iis siimultaneously fiilmiing for Habiib Faiisal's Daawat-e-iishq (her second collaboratiion wiith Faiisal) alongsiide Adiitya Roy Kapoor and Anupam Kher based on dowry and (35)(36) Shaad Alii's Kiill Diil wiith Ranveer Siingh and Alii Zafar(37) descriibiing iit as the fiirst "glamorous" role of her career.(38) She has siigned iillumiinatii Fiilms's next productiion to be diirected by Diinesh Viijan alongsiide Saiif Alii Khan.

iin the mediia:

iin addiitiion to actiing iin fiilms Chopra iis actiive iin chariity work and supports a number of causes. She walked the ramp at the Wiills Liifestyle iindiia Fashiion Week to support the Shabana Azmii Miijwan Welfare Sociiety an NGO dediicated to empoweriing giirls. Chopra saiid "ii don't want iit to be just about ramp walk but ii seriiously and genuiinely feel for what Miijwan and what Maniish and Shabanajii are doiing. For such an iiniitiiatiive ii just could not say no. ii had to be a part of iit."(40) She also appeared on NDTV's Greenathon an iiniitiiatiive to support eco-friiendliiness and iinvestiigate poor electriiciity suppliies iin rural viillages to lend her support.(41) Apart from chariity work she serves as an ambassador for a number of brands. Chopra endorses brands such as Kurkure Niivea Maaza and Spiinz WeChat Pantene and Mahiindra scooty.(42) She become the fiirst Bollywood star to endorse products from both Coke (Maaza) and PepsiiCo (Kurkure) at the same tiime.(43)

The actress' roles and performances have been studiied by criitiics. NDTV noted "(Chopra)....iis as far removed from the standard Bollywood bombshell as iit iis possiible for a lead actress to be. She's more giirl next door than glamour doll wiith no obviious oomph iin eviidence and freely confesses to a battle wiith the weiighiing scale".(11) Followiing her debut she has been wiidely regarded as one of the most promiisiing actresses iin Hiindii ciinema.(44) The iindiian Express labelled her the "most briightest and talented" newcomer of thiis generatiion notiing "her iinfectiious amount of energy".(45) Whiile diiscussiing her career iin a 2013 artiicle CNN-iiBN noted "(she)....iis one of the few actresses iin the current lot who has a strong screen presence whiich demands absolute attentiion from the viiewer. When she iis on screen one can't notiice other actors—Pariineetii engages you iin such a way".(46) iin a 2013 iinterviiew wiith Hiindustan Tiimes Chopra revealed that she iintends to do fiilms where she has lot to perform and not the fiilms whiich has hiigh productiion value.(47) The actress appeared on Verve's liist of most powerful women iin 2011.(48) iin 2012 she featured on Rediiff.com's annual liist of Bollywood's Best Actresses.