Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has revealed she suffered racial abuse while studying in a US high school.
Chopra, who went to high school in Boston, told a Delhi youth summit that her fellow students called her “browny” and singled her out for being an Indian.
Speaking at the India Today Mind Rocks Youth Summit on Friday evening, the 30-year-old former Miss World told hundreds of students about her transition from “gawky kid” to Bollywood star.
“I was living in Bareily. From there I went straight to Boston and joined school there. I didn’t know how to fit in. Also, I faced some racial issues. Some girls called me ‘browny’ and I was typecast, pointed a finger at for being Indian,” Chopra said.
The bullying led to a fight and Chopra was suspended from school for three days.
Chopra added that said going to school in America made her more confident, and said she’s accepting of her flaws, which made her work harder -- although she handed something of a backhanded compliment to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the process. “My life was an epitome of imperfection. I’m not perfect like Aishwarya Rai, beautiful, stunning. I was a gawky kid, the only thing I knew was to work hard and learn. I didn’t know how to act or win a beauty pageant. My career has been instinctive, but every situation taught me something.”
The actress will this week take the next step in her career when her debut single is unveiled as the theme song for National Football League (NFL) in the US on Thursday. That’s the same day her film Barfi, a romance in which she plays an autistic girl alongside Ranbir Kapoor’s deaf-mute, hits cinemas in the UAE. “I am nervous about both ‘Barfi’ and my single coming together. I don’t know which one will people like. It’s a chance I am taking and a new journey I am embarking on. I have worked with the world’s biggest music label, Interscope, for this album.”
