Bollywood actress and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra made India proud yet again. She won a People’s Choice Award for her international acting debut as FBI agent Alex Parish in American TV thriller series Quantico. She is said to be the first South Asian actress to win the honour.
Chopra was named the Favourite Actress in a New TV series at the gala on Wednesday night here. She was pitted against actresses like Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele and Marcia Gay Harden.
Ecstatic with the victory, Chopra said: “I’d like to thank everyone who voted for Quantico. It is my first year in the US, and to come to another country and actually get this kind of acceptance is I guess what America is all about.”
“So, thank you for accepting me, thank you to my mom, my manager, the cast and crew, the writer, ABC...everyone. I’m really overwhelmed.”
She was given the trophy by Hollywood action star Vin Diesel, who also gave a touching tribute to his late Fast and Furious co-star Paul Walker by singing the song See you again during the course of the show.
Chopra looked glamorous in a shimmery dress by American fashion designer Vera Wang, and stood out with her smokey eye make-up.
A National Award-winning actress in India, Chopra’s acting repertoire includes films like Andaaz, Aitraaz, Krrish, Fashion and Mary Kom. Her last big screen outing as Kashibai in Bajirao Mastani last year has also won praises.
The People’s Choice Award - which recognises the people and the work of popular culture through votes given by the general public - for Chopra comes as a fillip to her international career, which first began as a singer in 2012 with her single In my city. She went on to collaborate with American rapper Pitbull for Exotic in 2013.
After wining the award, Chopra was flooded with congratulatory messages from the members of Indian film fraternity that included Nimrat Kaur, Anil Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Huma Qureshi, Prakash Jha and Shekhar Kapur.
Nimrat Kaur, who played a pivotal role in the American TV series Homeland, tweeted: “Brilliant and so incredibly well deserved! So so proud of this tigress! A first of many more to go @priyankachopra.”
Anil Kapoor wrote: “And the People have made their choice! Congrats @priyankachopra on winning #PeoplesChoiceAward for favourite actress #Quantico!!So Proud!!”, while Anushka Sharma shared: “Hey @priyankachopra congratulations on the win! So proud of you! Keep rocking yaow”.
Chopra will next be seen onscreen in the forthcoming Bollywood film Jai Gangaajal, which is slated to release on March 4.
Other global stars to win big were Melissa McCarthy, Taylor Swift and Ellen DeGeneres.