In 2000, when Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World title, there was a fair bit of pressure on the young woman. Not only had Lara Dutta won the Miss Universe title earlier in the year, in the years before Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden and Yukta Mookhey had won the title of Miss World as well. In fact, Yukta was the reigning Miss World when Priyanka participated. In an old unseen video, an 18-year-old Priyanka addressed the expectations from her at the competition in a poised interview. The actor also spoke about what she wanted to do in the future if she would go on to win the title. (Also read: Priyanka Chopra plays with Malti Marie, Nick Jonas shares pic of daughter’s ‘first soundcheck’ at Royal Albert Hall)
The unseen clip was shared on Instagram and shows Priyanka sitting down for an formal interview with talk show host Jerry Springer. In the short video, he asks Priyanka about Yukta winning the previous year. She replies, “It’s good for our country, isn’t it?” Jerry then goes to question her about the pressures and comparison to the previous Miss India.
Priyanka calmly says, “There’s always been pressure but I work best under pressure and if there’s no pressure there won’t be any expectation and without expectation, I won’t strive for enthusiasm.” Undeterred, the host prods her about her future plans stating, “What do you want to happen after this? What do you want to get after all this? Obviously, you’d like to win but if you won, is this the stepping stone to something else?”
She says, “It’s a stepping stone to anything I want to do because Miss World is a platform which I get a chance to influence people’s thoughts, minds, and actions which is the biggest power of them all. To be able to do that, it would give me a power to help people understand what their rights are and what they can be, the best that they can be.” Priyanka was also asked about conquering another world next to which she replies, “Well, I’ve already conquered the world, I just need everything from them now.”
Fans reacted to this unseen moment and recalled Priyanka’s momentous win. One fan wrote, “I remember this particular portion of the pageant and being blown away with her response about the pressure she was under. Still gives me so much pride watching it back. Intelligence is beautiful!” Another added, “She has always been beautiful and intelligent. I had no idea it was a back to back victory for India that year. And to think she was only 18.”
Priyanka has two Hollywood releases coming out in the next two months. She stars in Prime Video’s Citadel with Richard Madden; it will premiere on April 28. Her Hollywood rom-com Love Again with Sam Heughan and Celine Dion is releasing in May. Her husband, singer Nick Jonas, also has a cameo in the film.