Magazine, The Immigrant Experience, Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY
As an actress, singer and now author, Priyanka Chopra has an impressive resume – but let it be known that her road to success wasn’t easy.
In her new memoir, “Unfinished,” Chopra, 38, chronicles her rise to fame, marriage to Nick Jonas and favorite acting roles while paying tribute to her Indian roots and upbringing that shaped who she is today.
Any Chopra fan will love reading about the DM that initiated her relationship with Jonas, or the story behind her momentous Miss World crowning in 2000. She documents her “inspiring” friendship with Mindy Kaling and even addresses past controversies of the “Quantico” Hindu terror plot and her endorsement of skin-lightening creams.
However, as the daughter of two Korean immigrants, I was especially moved by Chopra’s stories of the trials and tribulations of making it big in both Bollywood and Hollywood. From her resilience as a victim of racism to her bicultural identity influenced by Eastern and Western experiences, Chopra credits her “global mindset” for broadening her thinking and contributing to her success as an actress.
“Unfinished” answers the question: “Who is Priyanka?” She recalls the childhood experiences in India that sparked her passion for philanthropy and the relationships in the Midwest, Queens and suburban Boston that allowed her to feel welcomed as a “brown” and “different” immigrant.
Just as my father came here from his home country to make a name for himself, so did Chopra. She reflects on how she catapulted herself into America’s entertainment industry with her charisma and resilience – traits she developed during her beauty-pageant years in India – and recalled that the most daunting part of her experience was the responsibility to represent her culture on a global stage.
