April 17, 2018
Actress Priyanka Chopra, who has been working in
international projects back-to-back, is set to star in Bollywood film "Bharat".
She is looking forward to work with Salman Khan after a gap of 10 years, and
with director Ali Abbas Zafar.
The "Quantico" actress said in a
statement: "'Bharat' it is! I'm looking forward to begin shooting this film and
working with Salman and Ali again after a considerable time.
"I've learnt
a lot from them in our previous collaborations and am excited to see what this
one has to offer."
Priyanka has worked under Zafar's direction for
"Gunday", and she also teamed up with Salman in films like "Mujhse Shaadi
Karogi" and "Salaam-e-Ishq".
Priyanka has thanked "all well-wishers who
have been so patient and supportive" for the constant support.
Zafar, who
has been busy preparing for the movie, is happy that "Bharat" marks Priyanka's
homecoming to Bollywood after having proven her range as a performer in
Hollywood films and a blockbuster global TV show.
"'Bharat' is rooted in
India and its culture despite it spanning over 70 years and set across various
countries of the world.
"Priyanka is the biggest Indian artiste
internationally and she is a perfect fit for the film. Priyanka brings in
outstanding acting, as well as incredible international appeal, to make the
scale of the film bigger and even more global," he added.
Zafar and
producer Atul Agnihotri travelled to New York to meet Priyanka and gave her the
narration of the film.
Zafar calls Priyanka's character in the film the
"soul" of "Bharat".
"As the love story in 'Bharat' is very mature and
quite subtle, we needed an actor who could portray this in the best possible
way.
"Her character is the soul of the film, and throughout, she stands
shoulder to shoulder with Salman Khan in the journey. She is the catalyst in the
film's most important turning point," he added.
"Bharat" has started its
prep in London, after which director Zafar will move to Spain, Poland, Portugal,
and Malta.
The film will feature Salman sporting five different looks
spanning 60 years, wherein a crucial part will showcase the actor in his late
20s, looking much leaner and younger.
The film, produced by Atul
Agnihotri's Reel Life Production Pvt Ltd and Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, will
release on Eid 2019.