Priyanka Chopra reveals she faced nepotism in Bollywood, recalls a male co-star telling her she got 'Salaam-e-Ishq' by mistake

Priyanka Chopra made her debut in Hindi cinema in the early 2000s and slowly carved a path for herself on her own. But in her initial years, the actress faced several struggles and had bad experiences on movies. At that time, she lost out on projects despite being signed, as filmmakers or leading actors chose to back other actresses instead. Reflecting on one such episode, Priyanka shared that she was removed from a Hindi film even after formalising her contract. According to her, a male co-star later informed her that the director had made a “mistake” by casting her because the role had always been intended for another actress. Though legally bound to the project, she felt powerless to challenge the decision.

Speaking recently at the Harvard Business School, Priyanka recounted how the male actor from the shelved project visited her while she was shooting for the 2007 film 'Salaam-E-Ishq'. She initially believed he had come to show support ahead of their upcoming shoot, but the conversation took an unexpected turn. “He goes, ‘The director gave you this movie by mistake. It was his mistake. This was always supposed to go to this other girl but we will do another one together, don’t worry about it. I just wanted to tell you myself.’ And he ate some food and left,” she recalled.




At just 22, Priyanka described the film as a “really important movie” that vanished overnight. “My heart just crushed and I was like, ‘I signed a contract. Like, what do you mean?’ But that’s how it was,” she said, adding that similar incidents occurred multiple times. Despite already featuring in successful films and steadily building her reputation, she admitted she briefly considered stepping away from acting altogether, even contemplating a return to college. Ultimately, she chose to “focus on my craft,” a decision she credits for sustaining her career. “That took me through my carer and got me more work,” she shared.

Priyanka made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with Andaaz alongside Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta. Around the same period, several industry newcomers with film family backgrounds were entering the scene. Addressing the subject of nepotism, she said, “I didn’t know what nepotism meant at the time. I just knew that every parent wants to make sure that they give their children the best future that they can, which is normal. My parents did the best that they could to make sure that I have a choice in my future so I didn’t understand what that meant or the limitations that came with it.”

Looking back, Priyanka noted that several films were “taken away” from her during those formative years. “I was cast as a lead and suddenly, I was cast as a second lead because somebody else… You know, the politics of it just struck me and I realised that no one is making a movie for me. This person is not my uncle or I haven’t been to their home since I was 4 years old and that started becoming really apparent when you met friends and colleagues,” she explained. Even so, positive critical feedback motivated her to persevere. “I started looking for a variety of roles,” she shared.

On work front, she will be seen next in 'The Bluff'.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”