Priyanka Chopra reveals why she spoke up about being ‘cornered’ in Bollywood, says she 'forgave' & moved on

Priyanka Chopra, who generated quite a buzz for opening up about being “cornered” in Bollywood, after she fell out with some influential people, recently reminisced about the dark phase in her life and why it took her so many years to finally talk about it.

The ‘Barfi’ actress was interacting with the media at a press conference in Mumbai, where she was promoting her upcoming web series ‘Citadel’. When asked why she decided to address the harassment she faced after so long, the actress admitted it took her many years to finally muster the confidence to speak out against the injustice she faced.

“I think now where I am … I was okay enough to kind of articulate what I felt, she said. The ‘Bajirao Mastani’ star also alluded to a past “tumultuous relationship,” stating that she had moved on from that phase and forgiven everybody. “ I made my peace with it. I think that's why it was easy for me to talk about it in an open manner in a safe space,” she explained.

The actress was in India with her husband, singer Nick Jonas, and daughter, Maltie Marie Chopra Jonas. She was one of the guests at the Nita Ambani Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) Gala in Mumbai.

Earlier, in a podcast ‘Armchair Experts’ hosted by Hollywood actors Dax Shepard and Monica Padman, the ‘Dostana’ star opened up on what made her leave Bollywood and restart her career on the other side of the Atlantic.

Without taking any names, the actress said that she had ‘beef’ with many powerful people in Bollywood, which led her to lose projects. “I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game, so I kind of was tired of the politics, and I said I needed a break,” she said.

She also said that after spending two decades in showbiz, she had made it a policy not to work with people she didn’t get along with. "For me, what would be non-negotiable now... it's true. I can't work with people I don't like anymore. It's non-negotiable for me... I have to admire and look up to the people I am surrounded with,” she said.

Chopra shifted base to the US thereafter. After a brief music career, she returned to acting with the thriller drama TV series ‘Quantico’ as Alex Parrish, a rookie FBI investigator.

Chopra soon became the talk of the town after the podcast. Several B-town celebs came forward in support. Actress Kangana Ranaut, who had worked with Chopra on the Madhur Bhandarkar film ‘Fashion’ took to Twitter to extend support to her former friend. In a series of scathing tweets, she claimed that director-producer Karan Johar had orchestrated her exit from Bollywood.
Director Apurva Asrani has also come out in solidarity with the 'Kaminey' star. Taking to Twitter, he praised the actress for addressing the bullying that outsiders face in the tinsel town. " It is a massive win that she didn't end up like Parveen Babi or Sushant Singh Rajput," he wrote.
Actor Vivek Oberoi also praised Chopra profusely and recalled his experience of facing a boycott from powerful lobbying groups. Recalling the time he was removed from projects and sidelined from Bollywood, after falling out with some Bollywood A-listers, he told a leading English daily,

“I have been at the receiving end of it. You feel like, I’ve just delivered an award-winning, commercially successful performance in 'Shoot Out Lokhandwala', and after that, I’m sitting at home for 14 months, not getting any work,” he vented.

The ‘Saathiya’ actor also went on to praise the ‘Mary Kom’ star and called her "inspirational."