When Priyanka Chopra Joined Bollywood, 'Everyone Was Somebody's Uncle Or Daughter'

New Delhi: Busy star Priyanka Chopra may have withheld her views on nepotism in Bollywood previously but in an interview to Hindustan Times, the actress opened up about her first-hand experience of how nepotism was an inevitable part of the industry when she joined. "When I entered Bollywood, everyone was somebody's uncle or somebody's daughter," Priyanka told Hindustan Times. Priyanka, who made her Bollywood debut in 2003, added that entry to a production office was a near-impossible job for someone who was not from a filmy background. "It's very difficult to get inside a production office if you are an actor from no [film] background. I know that it happened to me because I started like that," Hindustan Times quoted Priyanka as saying. Priyanka had previously refrained from commenting on the nepotism debate which had snowballed into a controversy after Kangana Ranaut's branding of Karan Johar as the "flagbearer of nepotism" and what followed after.

Priyanka was crowned Miss World in 2000, the year she celebrated her 18th birthday, and then two years later she made her acting debut with Tamil film Thamizhan. The following year, she was introduced in Bollywood with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and currently has over 40 films on her resume including hit projects like Bajirao Mastani, Dil Dhadakne Do, Barfi!, 7 Khoon Maaf and Don 2.

Priyanka also revealed that she missed out on projects because others were recommended in place of her but that was still having "it easy" because she already had some recognition as the winner of an international beauty pageant. "When I joined films, I was already winner of a beauty pageant and still had it a little easy. I got my first few films but I know that I was thrown out of the films because somebody else was recommended, who was somebody's daughter," Priyanka said.

"I didn't know people, ki main dinners pe ja rahi hun and networking kar rahi hun. I know that opportunities came to be because of merit. I know that opportunities were also taken from me because of these reasons. I wanted to have an open house philosophy in my production house," she added. Priyanka Chopra owns the production house Purple Pebble Pictures and has backed several regional films and projects by debutante directors.

Madhu Chopra, who is part of Priyanka's production house and is also the actor's manager, had earlier revealed in an interview to Deccan Chroniclethat Priyanka lost 10 films after she rejected a reputed director.

Priyanka Chopra shuttles between India and New York, where she keeps busy with her TV show Quantico, which is currently airing its third season, with which the TV series will be wrapped. Her next project in Bollywood will be Salman Khan's Bharat, which releases on Eid next year.