Photo Source: UTV Motion Pictures
The actress, starring in recent hit release "Agneepath," is also an aspiring singer as well. Chopra, age 29, was recently signed to Universal Music Group and Desi Hits! Inc (an entertainment entity connecting international and Indian artists), where she's being managed by Lady Gaga's manager, Troy Carter, CEO, Atom Music. Co-founded by LA-based Anjula Acharia-Bath, Desi Hits! played an instrumental role in Chopra's CAA signing.
"I have had a long standing relationship with David Tagihoff at CAA because he has been working on India-USA cross border deals for many years and we have been connected through this for some time. I approached David and CAA with Priyanka's manager Troy Carter and my partner on this, signing (Interscope Records chairman) Jimmy Iovine to assemble an 'A Team' that would both understand the enormity of the industry she is coming from and how best to navigate her through the immense opportunities that lay ahead," Acharia-Bath told "The Hollywood Reporter."
"This is a great followup (after the Universal Music Group/Desi Hits! signing) and there should be some fun stuff coming up. Basically, I am an actor so it did make sense to have representation in terms of movies or entertainment in any way," Chopra told "THR." "Everybody on my team thought that it made sense to be covered on the movie front as well. CAA was excited to come on board so we went with them."
After an early modeling career and winning the 2000 Miss World title, Chopra debuted in Bollywood with 2003's "The Hero: Love Story of a Spy." The actress quickly followed up in 2004 with her breakout role in suspense drama "Aitraaz" for which she received the Filmfare best villain award. Then in 2008, Chopra's turn as a troubled model in "Fashion" won her the Indian government's National Award for best actress. Last year, she found more success with a critically acclaimed performance in "7 Khoon Maaf" (Susanna's Seven Husbands), playing the life curve of a femme fatale, from youth to old age. The project was co-written by Hollywood screenwriter Matthew Robbins ("The Sugarland Express").
Though there's wider international opportunities for Chopra to explore, there are obvious challenges to surmount as Acharia-Bath explained, "It is no secret that business is handled differently in India and there is often a disconnect given talent in India handles much of their own business and rely less on agents and management to navigate opportunities for them; this is in stark contrast to how things are handled in the USA. Also, stylistically Bollywood is also a very different form of cinema so finding talent that can cross over is also challenging as there are cultural sensibilities that are very different."
But Chopra's background could give her a different positioning since "she began her career on an international platform (Miss World) and moved into Bollywood almost as an outsider but managed to rise to the top. She is unique because as much as she is Indian she has an incredibly international focus and understands the protocols and approach to the entertainment business globally," added Acharia-Bath.
Indian actors presence is gradually being felt more and more internationally with talent agencies such as ICM, repping Anil Kapoor ("Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol"), and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, repping Irrfan Khan (this summer's "The Amazing Spiderman").
– The Hollywood Reporter
