Priyanka Chopra says Vijay showed her the scale of south Indian stardom in debut film 'Thamizhan'

Highlights

• Priyanka Chopra reflected on working with Vijay in her first film Thamizhan
• The actress recalled being overwhelmed by the actor’s massive fan following on set
• Madhu Chopra said Priyanka trained intensely to match Vijay’s dance performances

Priyanka Chopra revisits her first film experience

As Vijay continues to dominate headlines following his rise in Tamil Nadu politics, an old interview of Priyanka Chopra reflecting on her debut film Thamizhan has resurfaced online.

The actress, who made her screen debut opposite Vijay in the 2002 Tamil film, spoke about the experience during a recent podcast appearance. Priyanka recalled stepping into an industry and language that were completely unfamiliar to her at the time.

She revealed that she learned her dialogues phonetically because she could not speak Tamil then. Despite the challenge, she memorised every line carefully for the role.

Priyanka also remembered being stunned by Vijay’s popularity during filming. She said crowds would gather in huge numbers just to watch the actor perform scenes and dance sequences, adding that it was her first real glimpse of cinema fame from close quarters.

According to the actress, witnessing the frenzy around Vijay felt almost unreal for someone entering the industry for the first time.

Madhu Chopra recalls Priyanka’s determination on set

In an earlier interview, Priyanka’s mother Madhu Chopra had also spoken about the actress’s experience while shooting Thamizhan. She said Priyanka gradually became more confident despite initially struggling with the language barrier.

Madhu noted that the film’s team treated her warmly and helped her settle into the environment. She also described Vijay as “a perfect gentleman” during the production.

The film’s choreography was handled by Raju Sundaram, and Madhu admitted Priyanka initially found it difficult to keep pace with Vijay’s dance style. However, she said the actress spent long hours rehearsing from morning until evening to improve her performance.

She added that the experience played a major role in shaping Priyanka’s confidence and convinced her to pursue acting seriously as a career.

Thamizhan became an early commercial success

Directed by Majith and produced by G Venkateswaran, Thamizhan went on to become a commercial success and marked the beginning of Priyanka Chopra’s acting journey.

The actress is currently filming Varanasi, directed by SS Rajamouli. The upcoming project also stars Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran and is scheduled for release on 7 April 2027.