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Unfinished

Page 25

by Priyanka Chopra Jonas


  Photo 41: © Hindustan Times/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

  Photo 42:© Annie Leibovitz

  Photo 43: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 44: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 45: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 46: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

  Photo 47: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 48: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 49: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 50: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 51: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 52: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 53: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 54: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 55: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 56: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 57: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 58: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 59: © Saurabh Anjarlekar

  Photo 60: Photo from the author’s personal collection © Purple Pebble America, LLC / Photography by Jose Villa and Joseph Radhik

  Photo 61: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 62: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 63: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 64: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 65: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Photo 66: Photo from the author’s personal collection

  Dear Papa,

  Much like the title of this book, your story was unfinished.

  With that in mind, I dedicate the rest of mine to you.

  I miss you, Dad.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Many people made this book happen…

  My collaborator Nan Satter, who patiently laughed at my jokes and meandering stories;

  Pamela Cannon, my editor, who worked closely with me and had faith in me as an author from the beginning. Her knowledge, keen eye, and dedication truly helped bring this book to life, as did the thoughtful suggestions of Manasi Subramanian at Penguin Random House India and Daniel Bunyard at Penguin Random House UK.

  My production team at Ballantine, especially Kelly Chian;

  My former agents at WME, Nancy Josephson, Richard Weitz, Brad Slater, Esther Chang, and Mel Berger, who made my idea for a memoir a reality;

  And Laura Zigman, thank you for your time and contribution.

  My family…without whose support I would not even be a fraction of who I am.

  My father and my biggest cheerleader, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Ashok Chopra;

  My mother and my greatest champion, Dr. Madhu Chopra;

  My husband, Nick, thank you for always being in my corner. I love you.

  And:

  My brother, who kick-started this whole thing, Siddharth Chopra;

  My nani, who raised me much of my life, and subsequently my cousins and my brother;

  My dada and dadi, for showering their blessings;

  My nana, for teaching me the ABCs;

  Kiran Masi and Amitabh Mausa, Vimal Mamu and Vimla Mami, Neelam Masi and Manoj Mausa, thank you for graciously letting me live in your homes when I needed to explore new horizons, and for not even blinking an eye and raising me like your own child.

  Munnu Masi, Leela Masi, Parwez Mausa—thank you for the love always.

  Baby and Baboo Bua, for always being my dad’s reflection on me;

  Fufs, for being my father’s best friend;

  Krishna, Shireen, Aydin, and Aria…the next generation will take us forward;

  Badepapa and Pawan Chacha, I will never forget the way you cared for my dad on his deathbed. I’m indebted.

  To the IX-ers…my cousins, who are more like my siblings: Bhaiya, Divya, Chummu—us against the world.

  Sana, Rohan, Parisa, Pooja…thank you for the constant love and support.

  Nile, Bhaskar, Stacy, and Ashwin…you will always be my family.

  Badimama, Reena Chachi, Titu Chacha, Sweety Chachi, and Raman Uncle. I don’t see you enough to tell you how much you all have influenced my life, but you have.

  Bhai (Sunny), thank you for always being there;

  Teddy, Bunny, Bubbles, Tisha, Sahaj, Shivang, Ridhima, Radhika, Barbie, Mitali, Mrinal…you will always be my siblings. Thank you for showering your love and support on me always.

  My new family…

  Denise and Kevin Sr.; Kevin, Dani, Valentina, and Alena; Joe, Sophie, and Willa; Frankie, Nana, and Mama. Thank you for the love.

  Friends…

  Tamanna—there is so much we have shared and learned from each other, and now Thiaan will, too. Sudeep, thank you for being my brother;

  Mubina—my troublemaking twin. I love you;

  Shrishti (Nanu)—ups or downs, we always meet in the middle.

  My team…that has stuck it out with me. You are my pride and joy.

  Natasha Pal, for being around the longest. Thank you for everything you do.

  Anjula Acharia, for dreaming big with me, and of course her mom, Shami Acharia;

  Dana Supnick-Guidoni, for never letting me fall;

  Robert, Sonya, and Ashni, for fighting the big fights;

  Lou Taylor and Tristar, for being my armor;

  Mrinal—love you;

  Reshma, Vivek, Toral, and everyone at Matrix—we’re going to do so much together.

  Rohini Iyer and Raindrop Media, for being my shield;

  Chanchal—what would I do without you?

  Aparna from East West Travels—you magic girl, you!

  Anand and Shyamji—thank you for keeping an eye out for me.

  Mary Rohlich—PPP is in good hands.

  59th Parallel and Social Fleur, for your hard work;

  James Gartshore Boulter—glad you’re on board;

  My agents at UTA—Jason Heyman, Chris Hart, Marissa Devins, Neil Bajaj, Keya Khayatian—you’re the dream team.

  And…

  Pradeep Guha, for having vision!

  Jimmy Iovine, for believing when no one did;

  The Miss India and Miss World organizations that gave me my break;

  My UNICEF family around the world, especially Geetanjali, Marissa, and Victor, for your continuing contributions to the betterment of children everywhere;

  My PCF family—let’s keep doing good together;

  All the filmmakers that have shaped me;

  Neil Jacobson and Jurgen Grebner, for showing faith in my music;

  The dream wedding team: Sabyasachi and your amazing team; the incredible Ralph Lauren Atelier—Ralph Lauren, Kimball Hastings, Andrea Ciaraldi, Annarita Cavallini, and the entire team; Abu Sandeep and his wonderful team; Adi and the Motwane team; Ami Patel and Sanjay; Micky Contractor; Yumi Mori; Priyanka Borkar; Mimi Cuttrell and team; Jenya Flowers;

  Chaandji, for being one of the good ones;

  Teachers that shaped me;

  All of the incredibly talented stylists, hair a
nd makeup teams that have helped me feel and look my best;

  Dancers I danced with, fighters and doubles I did stunts with;

  Photographers and DPs that see me through a lens;

  Directors that made me better, writers that gave a voice to the beloved characters I have played throughout my career;

  Co-actors that were my best bounce boards;

  North Shore Animal League and Hollywood Huskies for our beautiful rescues, Diana and Panda, and Kreative Kennels for Gino;

  My dad’s doctors, you do God’s work and you’re truly angels on earth.

  Naysayers that have made me stronger and always pushed me to keep climbing and wanting to achieve even more;

  And finally, all the fans and well-wishers. You have been the highlight of my life over the past twenty-plus years. You are the wind beneath my wings, and I would not be here without you. Thank you!

  About the Author

  Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a multifaceted talent and one of the most recognized personalities in the world.

  A former Miss World, she is the recipient of numerous awards as an actor and producer, with more than sixty international and Hollywood films to her credit. Most recently, she starred in the Netflix features We Can Be Heroes, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and an adaptation of the Man Booker Prize–winning novel The White Tiger, which she also executive-produced. Chopra Jonas starred in and co-produced The Sky Is Pink, an independent Hindi-language film that premiered as an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, and is currently developing an untitled buddy comedy with Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor for Universal, which she will co-produce and star in. Chopra Jonas is also in production for the Russo Brothers’ Citadel, The Matrix 4, and Where Does My Heart Beat Now with Sony Pictures. Under her production banner Purple Pebble Pictures, Chopra Jonas is partnered with Amazon Studios on a first-look TV deal, where she will develop a slate of global content for the streaming service. Purple Pebble Pictures is also partnered with ViacomCBS to create original content focused on diversity and inclusion for its entertainment and youth channels.

  Chopra Jonas made history as the first Indian-born actor to lead an American network TV series when she starred in the ABC dramatic series Quantico, winning two People’s Choice Awards for her work. The Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors, was conferred on her in 2016. She was featured on the cover of Time magazine’s “Time 100” issue, in which she was named one of the “Most Influential People” in the world, and has been recognized as one of Forbes’s Most Powerful Women.

  Chopra Jonas is a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a recipient of the prestigious Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award. She is also a Global Citizen ambassador, and is involved in a number of efforts to protect children’s rights and to promote the education of girls around the world. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Nick, and Diana, Gino, and Panda, their three dogs.

  Facebook.com/​priyankachopra

  Twitter: @priyankachopra

  Instagram: @priyankachopra

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