Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Jul 5: From being judged for her skin tone and physique to becoming an international icon, Priyanka Chopra’s journey has been one of resilience and reinvention. Veteran actor Smita Jaykar, who worked with her in the 2004 film Kismat, recently opened up about her first impression of the young actress, revealing initial doubts that later turned into admiration.

“She was very thin, skinny, dark… She was introduced to me and Mohan Joshi as our daughter. When I saw her, I said, ‘Oh my God.’ She looked like nothing at that point. I wondered how these girls become heroines,” Jaykar said in an interview with Filmymantra.

However, Jaykar praised Priyanka’s remarkable transformation, saying, “Cut to… Priyanka Chopra was wow! She became a complete diva. You can’t judge someone like that. You never know when someone’s destiny will change. What an actress – fabulous!”

Priyanka herself has spoken about facing colourism and body shaming early in her career. In a past interview with BBC, she said, “I was called ‘black cat’, ‘dusky’… I thought I was not pretty enough. Even though I felt I was more talented than some of my lighter-skinned peers, I believed I had to work harder. It was so normalised, I thought it was right.”

On the work front, Priyanka’s latest Hollywood release Heads of State premiered on Amazon Prime Video on July 2. Directed by Ilya Naishuller, the action-comedy features her as MI6 agent Noel Bisset, alongside Idris Elba and John Cena.

Meanwhile, Smita Jaykar will next be seen in the film Maa Lapataa and will reprise her role in season three of the hit web series Romeo.