Priyanka Chopra reveals she was ‘overawed’ after watching this Mani Ratnam film in a theatre in her teens

Priyanka Chopra was asked whether she had any such experience when she was dazzled by the magic of movies. She named a Mani Ratnam film in her response.

Priyanka Chopra, whose latest film is Heads of State, started her journey as an actor when she won the Miss World 2000 pageant at the age of 18, representing India. In an interview with India Today, the actor was asked whether she remembers having a moment when she was swept away by the magic of cinema. Priyanka said that she did have such a memory, which occurred when she watched Mani Ratnam's 1995 film Bombay. (Also read: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas are all smiles as they attend the Wimbledon Tennis Championships together. See pics)

Priyanka Chopra spoke about experiencing a classic Mani Ratnam film in a theatre during the time of its release.

Priyanka Chopra on Bombay

During the interaction, Priyanka recalled the exact time she watched the film in Mumbai. She said, “I didn't really grow up watching a lot of movies. We always had music because my dad was a big fan of Bollywood music. We used to play that at home all day. But I remember the very pivotal moment when I watched the movie Bombay in Bombay.”

She went on to add, “I was 12 or something, early teens. It was just a really heavy movie for a young person, but I was just overawed by it and every time I still watch it I go back to that. It was my first experience, and it was in a movie theatre. So the collective experience of watching something that was so powerful with people… I will never forget that feeling.”

About Bombay

Bombay was a Tamil musical drama starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala. It was the second instalment in Mani Ratnam's trilogy of films set against a background of Indian politics, including Roja (1992) and Dil Se (1998). The music album of Bombay was scored by AR Rahman. The songs from the film became a chartbuster and have since achieved cult status. Bombay also won two National Awards: for Best Feature Film on National Integration and Best Editing.

In Heads of State, which is an Amazon Prime Video film, Priyanka stars alongside Idris Elba and John Cena. The film released on Prime Video on July 2.

Apart from this, she is set to play a 19th-century Caribbean pirate in The Bluff. Fans will also see Priyanka in the highly anticipated web series Citadel 2. The second season, which was scheduled to release this year, has been postponed "to a spring 2026 debut". Reportedly, Priyanka will star in SS Rajamouli's upcoming film alongside Mahesh Babu.