‘People told me I was stupid': Priyanka Chopra’s manager was called crazy for launching a Bollywood star in America

Priyanka Chopra did not just manage to become a top star in Hindi cinema, she went beyond that and found a place for herself globally. She's now called a global icon and in a recent interview, her manager Anjula Acharia has revealed how people laughed at the idea initially. The actress made her Hollywood debut in 2015 through ABC’s ‘Quantico’, a role that changed the course of her career. But behind that breakthrough was a bold decision that many initially questioned.

In a recent episode of ‘The Ok Sweetie Show’ podcast, Priyanka’s longtime representative Anjula Acharia revealed she faced heavy skepticism when she brought the Bollywood star to the US. “People told me I was stupid when I bought Priyanka here. Everyone was like, you can't break about a brown Bollywood star in America,” she recalled.




Anjula admitted the criticism briefly rattled her confidence. “And I was having one of my insecure moments… people are saying that I'm crazy,” she said, adding that music mogul Jimmy Iovine helped put things into perspective. “And he goes, do you know everyone thought I was crazy when I wanted to launch a white rapper? His name was Eminem.”

Priyanka went on to make history as the first South Asian woman to headline an American network drama with ‘Quantico’. She later starred in films like ‘Baywatch’ and ‘The Matrix Resurrections’, and most recently appeared in the global series ‘Citadel’.

The actor was last seen in Nick Jonas’ holiday special ‘A Very Jonas Christmas Movie’. She is now set to return to Indian cinema with SS Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’, alongside Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran, slated for a Sankranti 2027 release. Up next, she will be seen in ‘The Bluff’ with Karl Urban and in ‘Citadel’ Season 2.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”