In the early part of his career as a director, Suneel Darshan the most work is Karisma Kapoor as his main lady. Following success together in ‘Ajay’ (1996), ‘Jaanwar’ (1999), and ‘Ek Rishtaa’ (2001), he teamed up with his sister. Kareena Kapoor for ‘Talaash: The Hunt Begins’ (2003). In her next production, Raj Kanwar’s ‘Andaaz’ (2003), however, she moved away from Kareena and replaced her with two new faces: Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta.
Priyanka Chopra’s first meeting with Suneel Darshan
At that time, Priyanka, who was crowned as Miss World 2000, had only two films, while ‘Andaaz’ became the role of Lara, who had already won Miss Intercontinental 1997 and Miss Universe 2000. Interestingly, when Priyanka entered Suneel Darshan’s office, she was not immediately impressed and wondered what made her Miss World.
Priyanka Chopra “looked ordinary” at first glance, says Suneel Darshan
When she appeared in Hindi Rush, she recalled, “When I cast them, I had the opportunity to get all the A-grade actresses in India, like Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, and Aishwarya Rai. But I wanted to do something at that time, and I decided to write two new ladies. Lara had recently shot with Akshay Kumar for a magazine. So, I asked my team to call him. For the second female character, I didn’t want someone similar to the first. One day, Priyanka Chopra came to my office. At first I thought he looked normal. I chatted with her for a few minutes, asking myself, ‘What is her style that made her Miss World?’ I kept looking at him, and at one point I realized that I realized.”
Priyanka Chopra reminded Suneel Darshan of a teenager Rekha
It was then that Suneel felt that he looked like a young Rekha. “Without make-up, Rekha ji also looked the same. ‘What if she (Priyanka) is Rekha?’ Priyanka spoke Hindi very well and was a very intelligent girl. He had a problem with his nose then, which he fixed later (through surgery),” he added.
Priyanka Chopra’s success with ‘Andaaz’
According to Suneel, ‘Andaaz’ was completed in no time and became a hit within nine months from the start of shooting. He also said that this film was Priyanka’s real breakthrough in the industry, as her debut in Anil Sharma’s ‘The Hero: Love Story of a Spy’ (2003), in which she co-starred, did not garner much attention. He also said that Priyanka was very different from the other actresses she worked with. “Priyanka knew who should be happy and how to treat her,” he added.
Upcoming projects of Priyanka Chopra
Meanwhile, Priyanka Chopra was last seen in Frank E Flowers’ ‘The Bluff’ (2026). Currently, she is busy shooting for SS Rajamouli’s ‘Varanasi’, which has Mahesh Babu in the lead, and also has Mira Nair’s ‘Amri’ and Nicholas Stoller’s ‘Judgment Day’ in her upcoming list.