Suneel Darshan recalls first meeting with Priyanka Chopra

The very gorgeous and sparkling Priyanka Chopra—as we know her today—flipped her Bollywood game in just one fifteen-minute chat with Suneel Darshan. Every star has their behind-the-scenes glow-up moment, and today, we’re spilling the story of Priyanka’s. It all began when director Suneel Darshan, in full casting mode for Barsaat, was interrupted by a phone call from his reception. A certain manager—yes, Prakash Jaju—was downstairs with a girl he “just had to meet.” No big build-up, no grand entrance. Just a young woman with presence. And the moment she walked in, Suneel knew—this wasn’t your usual Bollywood debut story.

“She wasn’t giving Kareena or Karisma vibes,” Suneel recalled. “Not your textbook Bollywood heroine. She had this chocolate-y tone, deeper, richer—and something about her felt off-script. Different, but deliciously so.”

That “different” turned out to be destiny. Somewhere between polite small talk and eye contact that could melt glaciers, Suneel felt the shift. “She captivated me. That’s the word—captivate. There was this poise, this quiet fire. In fifteen minutes, I found myself thinking, wait... who does she remind me of? Then it hit me—Rekha. She had that aura.”

And while the original casting buzz was all about Lara Dutta—graceful, camera-ready, reigning Miss Universe—Priyanka was the wild card nobody expected. Lara shimmered, sure. But Priyanka? She seared. She left an imprint. She wasn’t walking in to fit a mold—she was there to make her own.

And that’s what happened.

Fast forward, and Barsaat became her launchpad. The girl once dismissed for not fitting the “conventional” bracket? She’s now a global force, serving looks at the Met, producing films, winning hearts across continents—and still captivating every room she walks into.

Moral of the story? Sometimes, all it takes is fifteen minutes—and a voice that makes a director pause, look up, and say, “Icon in the making.”
**This news was published on Times of India on 5th August, 2025.

 

 

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