‘Priyanka Chopra still hugs me with so much love, hasn’t forgotten her middle-class values,’ says Anil Sharma

He added, “When I met Priyanka, she became the first girl whom I cast without taking a screen test. After talking to her, I quickly handed over the cheque to her. Just by speaking to her, I knew she was a performer. After that, she worked very hard and many incidents happened in her life, which ultimately made her a global icon.”

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Reflecting on Priyanka Chopra beyond her stardom, Anil Sharma said, “She is a wonderful person. She still shows respect when she sees me. Whenever we meet, she hugs me with so much love. She doesn’t hesitate to leave her group, when she spots me somewhere. She has that respect for me because it is the reflection of her upbringing. Priyanka still maintains the middle class sanskaar of a UP family. It is a huge thing. She has become such big personality today, par use asmaan ki hawa nahi lagi.”

However, in the same interview, the filmmaker admitted that he hasn’t met Priyanka in a very long time, as she rarely visits India for work these days.