The challenge is to be able to convey emotions with just your voice, says actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who turns narrator for the upcoming documentary Tiger and finds it exciting that her career straddling Hollywood and Bollywood also gives her the opportunity to work in different languages.
The Disneynature documentary for which Chopra Jonas gives the voiceover in English revolves around Ambar, a young tigress raising her cubs in the fabled forests of India. It will start streaming on Disney+ Hotstar on April 22 on Earth Day.
The actor, who has earlier lent her voice for Frozen 2, The Jungle Book, and Planes, said she has always been a big fan of nature documentaries and Tiger presented her with an interesting opportunity to talk about a story coming from India.
"So many hours of incredible filmmaking to be able to capture this family... The fact that it was Disneynature and they're making something on a tiger which is based in India and the story of a tigress and her journey... all of it was just right up my alley. I love doing voice work. I really enjoy doing voice work. I've always enjoyed it. So that was another incentive," Chopra Jonas told PTI in an interview.
She said she relied on her producers and directors to mould her voice to suit the documentary.
"When you're an actor, you're used to the audio-visual medium, and here we are taking away the visual and it's just the audio medium. And I think the challenge really is to be able to convey emotions with just your voice and not do too much. But yet be able to find the right balance."
Her name has come to carry a certain weight, not just in India but on the global stage as well, and the actor said she is just happy to be a part of Hollywood and Bollywood.
"It's been a while that I've been straddling this. Almost 12 years... I've been straddling both industries in both worlds. It's very exciting to me to be able to work in any language and to be able to work in two of the largest film industries in the world. I love my job and I love the medium that I've been given, which is arts and to tell stories and to move people," she said.
Tiger, which comes exactly 15 years after Disneynature's first release Earth, is directed by Mark Linfield, co-directed by Vanessa Berlowitz and Rob Sullivan, and produced by Linfield, Berlowitz and Roy Conli.
The actress said the documentary, which is a culmination of 1,500 days of filming in the jungles of India, is a fun story about the "resilience" of a mother and her four cubs. It also helps one reflect on all the wonderful things that nature has to offer.
"I would love for people to just take a moment and recognise the inner majesty of creation. It's only when we see other forms of creation, besides ourselves, we stop being self-centred. Just looking at the incredible magic of creation helps you pause for a second and really appreciate the gifts that we have around us," she said.
Other than her work as a narrator on Tiger, Chopra Jonas has also been associated with the Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill A Tiger and just announced that she is backing the documentary stories Women Of My Billion (WOMB) and Born Hungry through her production house Purple Pebble Pictures.
"I do enjoy real stories. I get very intrigued by everyday people and human beings around us. And I think with WOMB, and with my other Tiger movie and with 'Born Hungry', there is a theme, I guess. I enjoy documentary filmmaking very much," she added.
Stills from Andaz Apna Apna
Stills from Andaz Apna Apna
Vinay Kumar Sinha
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire
Rahul Bhatt sparks controversy over 'insensitive' remarks about sisters Alia and Pooja Bhatt
Rahul Bhatt, fitness trainer and son of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following controversial remarks about his half-sister, Alia Bhatt. In a recent interview, Rahul drew comparisons between Alia and their older sister Pooja Bhatt, calling the latter more talented, attractive, and principled.
The comments, which many have labelled inappropriate and insensitive, have sparked widespread criticism online. During the interview, Rahul stated, “In my opinion, she (Alia) is not even half of what my real sister Pooja is. Not in talent, not in looks, not in terms of being sexy. In front of my sister, she is ‘paani kam chai’ (watery tea). Amongst the siblings, the most talented and the most moralistic is Pooja.”
Social media users reacted strongly, questioning why Rahul would compare his sisters in such personal terms. Several users were particularly disturbed by his reference to their appearance and sex appeal, pointing out that such comparisons within a family cross boundaries of propriety. One comment read, “This is disturbing. Why talk about your sisters like that? It’s not just weird, it’s wrong.” Another post said, “There’s nothing respectful about comparing your siblings’ attractiveness in public.”
The backlash also reignited conversation around a decades-old controversy involving Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt. Rahul was asked about the infamous 1990s magazine cover where the father-daughter duo shared a kiss, which had stirred public outrage at the time. Dismissing the criticism, Rahul said, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s like water off a duck’s back. We know the truth, and we’ve seen everything since childhood.”
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire, with critics saying it reflects a broader issue of the Bhatt family being insensitive to public perception and boundaries. Many users questioned the need for bringing up old incidents in a bid to defend new and equally questionable statements.
As of now, neither Alia Bhatt nor Pooja Bhatt has issued any public response to Rahul’s remarks. Both actors, known for their significant contributions to Indian cinema, have typically kept family matters private despite living in the public eye.
This episode has also sparked debate over the role of public figures in maintaining respect when discussing family matters in the media. Observers say such comments, especially when involving women’s appearance and personal qualities, reinforce problematic attitudes and fuel unnecessary controversies.
While Rahul Bhatt is not as prominent in the entertainment industry as his father or sisters, his comments have made headlines and placed the Bhatt family in the spotlight for reasons beyond their creative work. For many, this serves as a reminder that public platforms come with responsibility, and that family ties should not be trivialised or dissected for attention or comparison.
The backlash is unlikely to subside soon, especially as fans and followers of Alia and Pooja continue to express disappointment over the way the situation has unfolded. Whether or not Rahul chooses to clarify or apologise remains to be seen.