Priyanka Chopra - Early Life and Pageantry

Early Life and Pageantry

Priyanka Chopra was born on 18 July 1982, in Jamshedpur, India to Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra, both physicians by profession in the Indian Army. She has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years younger than her. Actress Parineeti Chopra is her cousin. Since her father was in the army, her family frequently moved from one city to another during her schooling days. In an interview with Daily News and Analysis, Chopra said that she did not mind travelling regularly and shifting schools. She welcomed it as a new experience and a way to discover the multicultural Indian society. Places where she lived as a child include Jamshedpur, Delhi, Pune, Lucknow, Bareilly, Ladakh, Chandigarh and Ambala.

Chopra studied at La Martiniere Girls' School in Lucknow and St. Maria Goretti College in Bareilly. She subsequently re-located to the U.S. where she attended Newton North High School in Newton, Massachusetts, and then John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She later recalled, "It was a huge culture shock for me when I went to study for three years in Boston at the age of 13." She was selected at state level for the National Opus Honour Choir. While in Boston, she participated in several theatre productions, and studied Western classical music, chorus and choir singing, as well as Kathak dance. Having completed the tenth class, Chopra returned to India and finished her high school education at Army Public School in Bareilly; during this period she won a local beauty pageant called "May Queen". She registered for her college studies at Jai Hind College in Mumbai to study either Software engineering or Criminal psychology, but left after winning the Miss World pageant.

Chopra's mother enrolled her for the Femina Miss India contest, in which she came second at the Femina Miss India 2000 competition, behind Lara Dutta, winning the Femina Miss India World title. She was subsequently sent to the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned Miss World 2000, along with Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty − Asia & Oceania. In the same year, her Miss India co-winners Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns respectively, in a rare triple victory for one country. When Chopra won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian woman to win the title, and the fourth Indian woman to do so in a span of seven years. She stated that the Miss World title brought her recognition and fame, and then she started getting offers for film roles.