‘I Signed a Contract, What Do You Mean?’ Priyanka Chopra Reveals Shocking Bollywood Heartbreak at Harvard

Priyanka Chopra Jonas made a startling revelation about her early Bollywood career during a candid discussion at the Harvard Business School on Tuesday, February 17, detailing the moment a film was “snatched away” from her despite a signed contract.

The global icon and wife of Nick Jonas was a keynote speaker at the university’s vibrant India Week event. While the session celebrated the theme “The India We Imagine,” Chopra delved into her past, sharing the biggest heartbreak of her Bollywood journey and shedding light on the industry’s deep-rooted politics .

The Salaam-E-Ishq Revelation: A ‘Mistake’ on Set

The Quantico actress recounted a painful incident that occurred while she was shooting for the 2007 multi-starrer Salaam-E-Ishq. A male co-star, with whom she was supposed to begin filming another project the following month, visited her on set . Initially, Chopra believed the visit was a gesture of support, but the conversation took an unexpected and crushing turn.

Without naming the actor or the film that was taken from her, Chopra recalled his shocking words:
“The director gave you this movie by mistake. It was his mistake. It was always meant for another girl, but we’ll do another film together, don’t worry. I just wanted to tell you myself.”

She described the surreal and heartbreaking moment of being only 22 and watching a “really important movie” vanish in an instant. “My heart just crushed, and I was like, ‘I signed a contract. What do you mean?’ But that’s how it was,” she shared with the audience, highlighting the powerlessness she felt despite having a legal agreement .

The actor then casually “ate some food and left,” leaving Chopra to grapple with the reality that the role she had signed was being given to someone else due to industry favoritism . Despite being cast in Salaam-E-Ishq—which featured an ensemble cast including Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Govinda, and Vidya Balan—this incident was a stark introduction to the “politics of it all” .

Facing Nepotism and Considering Quitting

Reflecting on that period, Chopra admitted that she didn’t fully understand the concept of nepotism at the time but felt its limitations acutely. “I didn’t know what nepotism meant at the time,” she said. “I just knew that every parent wants to make sure that they give their children the best future that they can… so I didn’t understand what that meant or the limitations that came with it.”

She revealed that this was not an isolated incident; several films were “taken away” from her during her formative years. In some cases, she was even demoted from a lead role to a second lead to accommodate someone with stronger industry connections . The cumulative disappointment was so severe that the Baywatch star briefly considered stepping away from acting entirely and returning to college.

However, Chopra made a pivotal decision to stop focusing on the politics and instead concentrate on her craft. “I started looking for a variety of roles… That took me through my career and got me more work,” she said, crediting her resilience and positive critical feedback for sustaining her journey .

An Emotional Homecoming at Harvard

The Harvard event was also a moment of profound personal pride for Chopra. Seeing the auditorium filled with Indian students dressed in sarees and kurtas moved her to tears. She contrasted it with her own teenage years as an outsider in the U.S. during the mid-90s .

Addressing the students, she emotionally stated, “You are the India I imagined… To see so many people from my community at one of the best schools in the world made my heart burst with pride.”

On the work front, Priyanka Chopra Jonas is gearing up for her Hollywood film The Bluff and is set to make a grand return to Indian cinema with SS Rajamouli’s much-anticipated project, Varanasi, co-starring Mahesh Babu .

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