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Birthday Special: 30 Facts About Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra turns 30 today.
Perfect occasion, we thought, to produce 30 fun facts on the natty Bollywood star. Take a look:
1. Growing up years
Priyanka Chopra was born in a family of physicians, Dr Ashok and Madhu, in the Indian Army in the Steel City of Jamshedpur but has lived in various locations ranging from Bareilly, Lucknow, Mumbai including some years in USA.
2. The winning Miss India question
Long before she was to romance him in Farhan Akhtar's Don, an 18-year-old PC was posed with a rather tricky question by the star and Femina Miss India 2000 judge, Shah Rukh Khan which would decide her fate at the pageant.
With his characteristic charm, SRK quizzed, 'This is hypothetical. Who would you rather marry? A great Indian sportsmen with all the records in Indian cricket like Azhar bhai (former Indian skipper Mohammad Azzharuddin) here who would make our country proud, take you all around the world and make you swell with pride or an artistic businessman with a difficult name to pronounce like Swarovski who would bedeck you with jewels and fine necklace and you'll never have to buy a chandelier for your house ever again or a Hindi film star like me who has nothing better to do than give you complicated multiple choice questions about a hypothetic wedding like this.'
And here's her First Runner-Up response, 'I'd go for a great Indian sportsman because when I come back home or he comes back home, I know I will be there to be his support to tell him I am proud of him just as much as India is. To be able to tell him, 'Hey look, you did your best, you are the best. I will take immense pride in my husband who will be a man of strong character if he can bring so much pride to my country.'
3. The Miss World moment
Of course the answer that won her the coveted Miss World crown so quickly after Aishwarya Rai and Yukta Mookhey's triumph wasn't even remotely impressive but Priyanka's scraped through.
When American host Jerry Springer asked her to pick the greatest woman alive, pat came the rehearsed reply, 'Mother Teresa (who passed away three years before the event)' for her compassion, love and for serving leprosy patients with a smile.
4. Pet name
While the media loves to address her as Piggy Chops, a name fondly given to her by Bluffmaster co-star Abhishek Bachchan, for close friends and family, she's simply Sunshine or Mimi.
5. Most popular among Twitteratti
The tech-savvy diva is quite easily the most popular Bollywood heroine on Twitter with more than 2.5 million followers, second only to Amitabh Bachchan leading with that massive three million plus statistic.
6. Martial artist
For her action-packed role in Don and Drona, Priyanka briefly trained in specialised martial arts like Ju Jitsu, Karate and Gatka to convey a convincing picture of strength and aggression.
7. The singing diva
Although we've only heard her sing on chat shows, Priyanka is a trained western classical singer and is all set to release an international music album (in English) following a deal with Universal Music Group and Desi Hits sometime in Autumn 2012.
8. Her original debut film
She may have bagged the Best Newcomer trophy at Filmfare Awards for Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar but Priyanka kickstarted her career with Tamil drama Thamizhan starring Vijay.
Although her original debut that never took off was K C Bokadia's shelved Ek Haseena Ek Deewana with Govinda.
9. Star cousins
She may be the first in her family to take up acting as a career.
But she's not the only one what with cousins Parineeti (Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, Ishaqzaade) and Barbie (in Telugu flick, Dynamic) working their way into tinsel town.
10. Induction into the elite shoe club
Joining the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Marliyn Monroe and Drew Barrymore, Priyanka is the first Indian actress to cast her foot impression in Italy's celebrated Salvatore Ferragamo museum.
As part of the Shoes for Stars project, the actress was honoured with a pair of exclusive, custom-made heels designed to her liking.
Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor are the succeeding Bollywood celebrities to receive this distinction.
11. The could-have-been Umrao Jaan
The actress was the original choice to play the ill-fated courtesan in J P Dutt'a Umrao Jaan.
Owing to her choc blocked date diary, however, she had to let go of the role, which was eventually essayed by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Not a great loss considering it's one of Bollywood's worst ever remakes reputation.
12. Favourite fragrance
Prized for its sweet, floral and mildly spicy notes, Ralph Lauren's Romance is the Kaminey star's favourite perfume.
13. Her hot wheels
The hottie is equally sleek when it comes to her cars.
Here's what you'll find parked in her garage: a Porsche Cayenne, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class.
14. Engineering aspirations
Many actors insist stardom was an accident and that they intended to be in a different profession.
And so originally, Priyanka too, had plans of pursuing engineering.
15. Junk food addict
Don't be fooled by her sexy, slender frame, Priyanka is a self-confessed junk food addict and is ever ready to binge on her favourite French fries or pizza.
16. National awardee
Apart from frequent Filmfare honours for her performances in films like Aitraaz, Fashion and 7 Khoon Maaf, Priyanka's most noted win remains the prestigious National Award for her dramatic portrayal of a supermodel, her rise and decline in Madhur Bhandarkar's film.
17. Hot endorsements
As one of the top-paid actresses in the business, PC is a big hit with the advertising industry as well, endorsing premium brands like Nokia, Ponds, Garnier, Lux, Bru, Tag Heuer, Nikon, Sunsilk and Hero Honda.
18. Animal lover
It's not just Don who's into 'jungli billis' but even Priyanka has a soft corner for wild things.
The Cancerian adopted Durga, a tigress and a lioness named Sundari and is responsible for their well-being in Ranchi's Birsa Biological Park.
19. Sweet nothings
It's not just her smile, Le Chopra has an equally irresistible sweet tooth too.
In an interview to New York Times, she once revealed how she always carries candy in her purse.
20. Different shades
Unlike her forgettable double role in sci-fi romance, Love Story 2050, the actress essayed not one, two, four but 12 different characters (rather zodiac signs) in Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Raashee? based on Madhu Rye's novel Kimball Ravenswood.
While most reviewers praised the actress for her efforts, the comedy was much too slow and dull to click with moviegoers.
21. Guest star
When not taking on multiple avatars in What's Your Raashee?, 7 Khoon Maaf, Teri Meri Kahaani, Priyanka gamely accepts to perform cameos/guest appearances.
Like the one in 36 China Town, Alag, Taxi No 9211, Om Shanti Om, Ra.One, My Name is Anthony Gonsalves, Billu, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai.
22. Her pet pooch
Dogs are said to be a man's best friend.
Priyanka is likely to feel the same about her cute pet pooch. He's named Brando after the late Hollywood legend.
23. Small screen star
Like most celebrities, the Dostana babe too dabbled in small screen.
Priyanka anchored the third season of thrills-packed reality show, Khatron Ke Khiladi replacing its host of first two seasons, Akshay Kumar.
24. Younger sibling
Besides her famous cousins, Priyanka has a younger brother named Siddharth and he's done a Hotel Management course from Switzerland.
25. Remake favourite
PC is quite a favourite with Bollywood's remake specialists. After working on the Don franchise and Agneepath, Priyanka is all set to slip into Jaya Bachchan's shoes for Apoorva Lakhia's Zanjeer remake opposite Telugu hero and superstar Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan Teja.
26. Her favourite film
A true blue romantic, Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is her all-time favourite movie.
27. Wanderlust
Having checked Brazil off her travel list, the actress now longs to explore the stunning sights of Mexico.
28. Most visible costar
Although they haven't worked together in while owing to rumoured link-ups, Priyanka's done her maximum number of films opposite Akshay Kumar -- Andaaz, Aitraaz, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge and Waqt: A Race Against Time. Every single one did good business at the box office.
29. Fashion choices
She loves to experiment with her western designers but when it comes to ethnic, the chic fashionista's weakness for Manish Malhotra's creations is well-documented on the red carpet.
30. Birthday girl
Priyanka Chopra shares her birthday with luminaries like Vanity Fair author William Thackeray, South African leader, Nelson Mandela and Gonzo journalist/author Hunter S Thompson.