Priyanka Chopra Jonas didn’t want to be a part of ‘Aitraaz’: Subhash Ghai

Priyanka Chopra’s portrayal of Sonia Roy in the 2004 film ‘Aitraaz’ remains an iconic performance in Bollywood. The actress’s bold and nuanced depiction of the complex character earned her widespread acclaim and numerous awards. However, Subhash Ghai, the film’s producer, recently revealed that she was initially hesitant to take on the role.

“I had to convince Priyanka a lot to take up this role. Initially, she was hesitant that she would get stereotyped as a vamp. But when she performed, she won all the awards. Negative characters give actors the chance to explore their full potential. Her first two films didn’t work as well, but this one brought her to the limelight. Such bold and aggressive characters leave an everlasting impact,” Subhash shared in an interview with a leading media house.

Priyanka herself acknowledged the risk she took by accepting the role. In an ‘Instagram’ post commemorating the film’s 16-year anniversary in 2020, she wrote, “2004, one year into being an actor, I played Sonia Roy in the Abbas-Mustan thriller ‘Aitraaz’. It was by far the boldest part I had taken on, which was a big risk at the time since I was very new in the film business. I must admit I was scared as hell but the artist inside me was crying for a chance to do something interesting and Sonia was exactly that - wicked, predatory, complicated and self-serving for the most part, but also surprisingly vulnerable and emotional.”