The rumour mills are churning and headlines declare Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ presence in Don 3, but it seems a bit far fetched as of now. It’s not a question of Bollywood pursuing her, but rather of the actor wanting to be part of the industry “on her terms.” And one of that is pay parity.
Even the fate of Zoya Akhtar’s much-awaited Jee Le Zara, starring Priyanka along with Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt seems to be limbo. It was trumpeted as a casting coup and as a story of an all-girl trip to discovery, but soon after the announcement, Katrina and Alia announced their weddings, and later, Alia made her pregnancy public. When asked about the film, Priyanka said, “I’d love to be back on Indian screens. I have Jee Le Zara, but between Katrina, Alia and me, we are at the busiest phases of our lives. So we are figuring the right time to do; probably next year.” However, according to sources, the makers are unable to afford Priyanka’s remuneration. The actor, who had revealed that she was paid as much as her male co-star for the first time in 23 years for Citadel, will not settle for anything less. An advocate for gender and pay parity as well as inclusivity, Priyanka has also been vocal about her struggles in Bollywood.
“I think now where I am, it was okay to articulate what I felt. I think I had a tumultuous relationship with what occurred, but I forgave and moved on a long time ago. I have made peace with it. I have to admire and look up to the people I work with, I want to be excited when I go to work. This is something as I have evolved become most important to me”, she asserts.
During her nine Hollywood years, she has been seen at the most fashionable of soirees and award functions and has headlined the dystopian spy thriller Citadel. “I am grateful, that 22 years later from when I started, I do have a career and am still acting at 40 years of age as a leading lady. I was specifically told by management that once you leave your 20s, heroes don’t want to work with you.
At 30 you are classified as too old to work with male actors who could well be in their 40’s, 50’s or 60’s. I would have never believed then that I would start my career in Hollywood at 40 and that too as a leading lady,” she has said in an earlier interview. Looks like B-wood has a long wait before its desi girl decides to grace its screens.
