Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Michael Joseph, $32.99.
‘The world is her oyster’ is a metaphor that aptly describes Indian actress and 2000 Miss World Priyanka Chopra. She admits her memoir is not a tell-all book, but it has been one of the most cathartic experiences of her life.
“The book will give you an insight into my journey in my words … it’s sort of the ‘in-between interviews’ version of my life, the public version versus my real story.”
The chronicle is a window into her soul, as it pinpoints “so many moments of change in my life. It’s vulnerable, honest, brazen … It is completely me, and I’m finally in a place where I am ready to share that part of who I am with the world”.
Priyanka, who wears many hats, is a producer, singer, a tech-investor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She is also married to American singer-songwriter Joe Jonas.
Unfinished traces her life through a collection of personal essays, stories and observations as it was written in four months during the COVID-19 lockdown. “I dove deep. I tried to understand how stories in my life shaped me, and explored the indelible moments that made me who I am.”
Just like the author herself, the result is a book that is thoughtful, lively, stirring, intrepid and, in some respects, seditious. “It’s been one hell of a rollercoaster ride.”
A reflective, though illuminating account from one of the world’s most recognisable women, who has become renowned for her bold adventuresome streak, multiculturalism, humanitarian work and activism. “I am a product of traditional India and its ancient wisdom, and modern India and its urban bustle. My upbringing was always an amalgamation of the two Indias, and, just as much, of East and West.”
India’s international superstar, who names numerous high profile global celebrities, also shares experiences from her childhood back-and-forth between India and the U.S. and the racism she faced growing up. It was after her return to India she won the national and global beauty pageants (Miss India and Miss World) that launched her acting career. On 30 November 2000, Priyanka was crowned the millennium Miss World!
In fact, India hit the trifecta that year when all three Miss India winners won their respective international pageants: Lara Dutta was crowned Miss Universe, Priyanka Chopra was crowned Miss World and Dia Mirza was crowned Miss Asia Pacific. It’s a feat no country has duplicated since.
Priyanka was the first Indian woman to appear solo on the cover of the American Vogue magazine in January 2019. She has also featured in many Hollywood projects and is the first South Asian woman to headline the cast of an American television show, Qantico.
The beloved Bollywood star is now a Hollywood favourite. She’s had roles in comedy films such as Isn’t It Romantic? and Baywatch, has recently wrapped up the shoot of Text For You and will also be seen essaying a pivotal role in Matrix 4. She has received praise for playing a protective mother in the biographical drama The Sky Is Pink, a film she also produced. Priyanka was last seen in Netflix’s The White Tiger.
With such an impressive body of work and marrying the man of her “dreams”, people may see it as a fairy tale. Wedged in between, however, are also the heartaches and the struggles that are candidly discussed in the book, in particular losing her beloved father to cancer. It’s an honest account of the challenges she faced navigating her career, both in India and Hollywood.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s story is bound to motivate a generation to collect their courage, enclasp their ambition and pledge to the hard work of following their dreams.
