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20 times Priyanka Chopra won our hearts

By Rediff Get Ahead
October 30, 2020

It will be 20 years since Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World title, and here are 20 occasions when she captured our attention.

Photograph: Kind Courtesy Priyanka Chopra/Instagram

It all started with the Miss World beauty pageant in 2000.

At 18, Priyanka was the fifth Indian to win the title after Reita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997) and Yukta Mookhey (1999).

A college student, she aspired to become a clinical physiologist. However, destiny had something else in store for her.

'Picture this... I just turned 18 and won Miss World!' she wrote on Instagram. 'When I finally reunited with my parents among all the chaos on stage, the first thing my mom said to me was, 'Babe, what's going to happen with your studies?''

 

Photograph: Kind Courtesy Bryan Adams/Instagram

Singer Bryan Adams photographed Priyanka for Guess, making her the first Indian model for the brand.

'I'm so proud to be the next Guess girl,' Priyanka tweeted back then.

'It's a legacy of beauty for 30 years. Thank you Bryan Adams and Guess for making this such a fab shoot.'

 

Photograph: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Time magazine included Priyanka in its illustrious list of global achievers alongside Dr Raghuram Rajan, Sania Mirza, Sundar Pichai and Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal.

Priyanka took to Instagram express her gratitude and wrote: 'What a way to start the day! #Time100's list of achievers! Humbled, overwhelmed and feeling so blessed!'

 

Photograph: Kind Courtesy Maxim/Instagram

Priyanka, who received great acclaim for her role in Quantico, topped the list of Maxim's Hot 100 in 2016.

The mag dedicated their cover which read -- 'The one and only Priyanka Chopra: The hottest woman in the world' -- to her win.

The cover also ended up being widely discussed on the Internet for Priyanka's 'photoshopped' armpits.

 

Photograph: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Priyanka has been associated with UNICEF for over a decade. In 2016, she was appointed a Global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

 

Photograph: Jason Meritt/Getty Images

Dressed in a Zuhair Murad strapless white gown, Priyanka looked gorgeous at the 88th Annual Academy Awards.

She worked the red carpet like a pro and also gave away the Best Editing award alongside Liev Schreiber.

 

Photograph: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Post her Oscar outing, Priyanka put her best fashion foot forward at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards.

She made a head-turning entry in a gorgeous red one-shoulder Jason Wu floor-length gown.

 

Photograph: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

Back in 2017, Priyanka commanded attention on the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards red carpet as she hung out with Michael Kors.

The designer seemed really pleased to be accompanying Priyanka, and the two created quite a stir with their red carpet appearance.

 

Photograph: Kind Courtesy Baywatch

The desi girl took Hollywood by storm with her debut film Baywatch, where she played the villain.

Priyanka was so impressive to the makers of Baywatch that they rewrote a male character as female just for her.

 

Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Dr Madhu Chopra's proudest moment was when her daughter received the Padma Shri.

'The Padma Shri was very humbling and very... such a proud feeling. At such a young age, her achievements have been recognised,' Priyanka's mom shared in an interview with Rediff.com.

 

Photographs: Dimitrios Kambouris and Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Remember the time Priyanka pushed the envelope for fashion at the 2017 Met Gala red carpet in a khaki colour Ralph Lauren trench coat with a never-ending train?

She later ditched the train for the Met Gala after-party.

It was probably the most dramatic outfit worn to the event that year.

Priyanka was trolled endlessly for the look. She took criticism in her stride and hand-picked a few of the memes, which she posted on Instagram.

 

Photograph: Kind Courtesy Mimi Cuttrell/Instagram

Priyanka wore a chic lavender suit by Vivienne Westwood at her friend Meghan Markle's wedding.

She completed the look with a hat designed by Philip Treacy and shoes by Jimmy Choo.

Priyanka first met Meghan at a party in Toronto -- where Meghan filmed Suits -- and the two count each other as close friends.

 

Photograph: Kind Courtesy People/Instagram

Priyanka and Nick Jonas became husband and wife in December 2018.

Priyanka wore a gown designed by Ralph Lauren to her wedding.

Nick too picked a custom Ralph Lauren tuxedo with the words 'My Jaan' embroidered on the lapel.

 

Photograph: Kind courtesy Priyanka Chopra/Instagram

Priyanka has four Madame Tussaud waxworks modelled on her.

At the Madame Tussauds in New York, her waxwork is dressed in a red outfit, like the one she wore to the 2016 Emmys.

 

Photograph: Kind courtesy InStyle/Instagram

Wearing just a Tarun Tahiliani hand-embroidered sari with sequins, gota work and tiny Swarovski crystals, Priyanka 'put the sultry in summer' on the cover of InStyle magazine.

 

Photograph: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Priyanka's 2019 Met Gala look created quite a buzz.

Playing around the theme, 'Camp: Notes on Fashion', she modelled her entire look around Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland.

Just like the Red Queen, she wore her hair in tight curls.

 

Photograph: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

When Priyanka and Nick attended the premiere of The Jonas Brothers documentary, Chasing Happiness, in Los Angeles, Mrs Jonas made waves with her black satin Galia Lahav gown.

With a plunging neck and a really high slit, she redefined the meaning of sexy.

 

Photograph: Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Priyanka showed up at the 2020 Grammy Awards in a gown with a plunging neckline which went all the way down to her belly button.

Looking extremely confident in the revealing silhouette by British couture house Ralph and Russo, Priyanka showed the world her love for embracing the daring side.

 

Photograph: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Priyanka Chopra visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and ended up playing Holi with the host.

A video from the show, which aired in March 2017, shows Priyanka and Jimmy applying colour on each other.

During the show, Priyanka mentioned that she was feeling homesick and Fallon brought out the Holi colours.

At the end, the show turned out to be one big party of colours.

 

Photograph: Kind Courtesy Priyanka Chopra/Instagram

We all have a story to tell, and this is Priyanka's story.

'Having been a public person now for 20 years, with so much life to live and a long list of things to check off my list personally and professionally, I am very much unfinished,' Priyanka wrote as she announced the news of her memoir.

'About writing a memoir is that it forces you to look at things differently, reconciling so many things you thought you had put to bed.

'In doing so I've realised that being 'unfinished' has deeper meaning for me, and has in fact been one of the most common threads of my life,' she added.

The book will release around January 19, 2021.

Rediff Get Ahead / Rediff.com

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