Priyanka Chopra says she felt drowned, cornered in Bollywood, opportunities with Pitbull, Will.i.am made her feel like she could breathe

Priyanka Chopra did not just become a top star in Hindi cinema, she went beyond that to make a place for herself globally. She's been breaking boundaries and pushing the envelope. In a recent interview, Priyanka opened up on her phase where she felt boxed in Bollywood and felt the need to come out of it. She also confessed that she felt cornered in the industry and it was a tough place to be. Priyanka whose latest film, 'The Bluff' has now released, opened up on her transition from Hindi cinema to Hollywood.

“Surviving in the movie industry is tough for everyone, it is not an easy place. It is political, networky, it is about the moment, it is fleeting. I am pragmatic enough to recognise that I feel everyone has their struggle because of their choices. I did feel like I was in a place where I was cornered, work was limited, and in order to survive emotionally, mentally, physically, I just needed to move," she said on Jay Shetty's podcast, On Purpose.






She went on to explain that momentum and change have always been her personal coping mechanisms during challenging times. Expanding on that thought, Priyanka added, “That has always been my answer. I am not someone who stays stagnant. I need movement to solve my problems. And this time it happens to be across continents. I moved to a completely different country.” She also admitted that staying exclusively within Hindi films may not have offered the career longevity she was seeking. Revisiting that moment, she said, “I was in this place where I was doing good work, but I didn’t see the longevity that I wanted in my situation at that time.”

Well before her major American television breakthrough with Quantico in 2015, Priyanka had already started building an international profile through music. She appeared in global singles and music videos such as 'In My City' (2012), 'Exotic', and 'I Can’t Make You Love Me', collaborating with international stars like Pitbull and will.i.am, a phase that became her first significant step into Hollywood.

Looking back on how that transition reignited her creatively, Priyanka said, “The universe just kind of timed itself together. I was feeling very limited in my work in Hindi movies and I felt I didn’t have a direction. This was like an Olive branch.”

She also described her collaborations with international musicians as deeply refreshing and transformative. “I was blown away by being in the studio with Will.I.AM, Pitbull, and The Chainsmokers, I met the most incredible people during this two year pop star era of mine. It was such a welcome change. It was a breath of fresh air. I was feeling like I was drowning, and I was suddenly pulled out, and I could breathe.”Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”