Priyanka Chopra eyes Bollywood return in 2025: 'I miss dancing'

The Indian actress is 'very close' to choosing a project, which she wants to be a 'blockbuster crowd-pleaser'

Priyanka Chopra is planning to return to work in the Indian film industry next year, she says. AFP

After a five-year hiatus, Priyanka Chopra is planning to make her return to Indian cinema next year.

Speaking to The National at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, the actress said that she is "very close" to choosing a project in India, which would mark her first project in her home country since 2019's The Sky Is Pink.

"I'm really hoping next year I do an Indian movie, because I miss dancing the most," Chopra says. "It's been years since I've done a movie back in India. I like a couple of things very much, and I'm very close. I'm really looking forward to doing something next year, and hopefully it works."

Chopra has been busy in Hollywood the past several years, capitalising on the success of her American series Quantico (2015-2018), with projects including Netflix's White Tiger (2021), The Matrix Resurrections (2021), Love Again (2023) and her ongoing Amazon Prime series, Citadel. But increasingly, the actress, 42, has found herself nostalgic for the industry that helped turn her into a cross-cultural star.

"I really miss the language. I miss Indian culture. I miss working with the crew that I've grown up working with in the Indian film industry," she continues continues.

Chopra added that when she began doing projects outside of India, the idea was never to leave Bollywood behind, and would like to have an even focus between projects in India and abroad.

"I never transitioned from Bollywood to Hollywood. The idea was always to balance both. I think I'm very fortunate to be one of the very few talent that can work in two of the largest film industries in the world, and I am very proud of that," Chopra continues.

"And I've learned everything that I know from my Hindi movies. I have the ability to walk onto any set and be completely confident because I know my job, and I know how to do that in any language, anywhere, and that was taught to me in India."

Chopra's goals for her English-language work moving forward is to "delve deeper into more meaty, challenging roles", something she was able to do in her Hindi-language films. In Bollywood, meanwhile, she is looking for a crowd pleaser for her next project.

"I'm hoping to go back to something I haven't done, like a big blockbuster, a fun movie that brings people to theatres. That's my aim. Who knows what's going to happen, but that's my goal," she says.

The actress recently wrapped filming for Citadel season two, an ambitious spy series produced by Anthony and Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame). The show features numerous international spin-offs that connect with the American version, including the recently released Hindi-language series Citadel: Honey Bunny.

"The second season was really fun to film, because we've now connected stories from our international shows as well. We have a lot of new cast that's come in. Joe Russo directed most of it himself, which was really cool, because he's just incredibly talented when it comes to shooting something at that scale, but yet not losing the integrity of your characters.

"This season is very grounded. It's very about the characters and what is happening with each one of our stories, which I think people will find really, really interesting," says Chopra.

Despite its scale, Chopra considers it a "pet project" of hers, and has stayed involved as each of the international spin-offs have been developed, meeting key players when the global writers united for a summit planning out how the different shows would intersect and develop. But she particularly enjoys the other Citadel shows as they allow her to be a fan.

"I really enjoyed watching the Indian show. A lot of the people on the show are my friends, so it was really wonderful to watch.

"I don't think anything like this has ever been achieved in entertainment. I think only Amazon Prime Video could pull this off, and I've had a great time working with them."