Priyanka Chopra threw birthday party for mom Madhu six days after dad’s death; brought John Abraham wrapped like a gift: ‘Family judged me’

A devoted fan of John Abraham, Madhu further recounted that Priyanka had gone the extra mile by arranging for her Dostana co-star to arrive at midnight, wrapped like a birthday gift. “They had requested John to come at midnight, wrapped like a birthday present. Imagine that! Priyanka said, ‘Mom has to have her moment.’ It was such a fun party with a DJ and music. But the rest of the family sat there gloomily, saying, ‘Look at her! She’s dancing! Does she not grieve for her husband?’ Meanwhile, I was thinking, ‘My daughter arranged all this; my kids put in so much effort. They’re all suffering and grieving, but this is how she is honouring her dad.’ Priyanka even said, ‘I am honouring his wish and you better fall in line with it.’ That’s the person she is.”

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Priyanka herself has also spoken about how her father’s death in 2013 shaped her understanding of grief. “After my dad passed away, I came to a slow but steady conclusion that that kind of pain would never go away. It’s your companion. So, if you are thinking of or waiting for the day when it starts hurting less, when it doesn’t affect you anymore or when you get over it… You are never getting over it; it becomes a companion. There will be days when it comes out in a biggish way and want to stay over for dinner or maybe a week, and there will be days when you don’t even remember about it until you see a photo and you’re like (sigh),” she said in the Read the Room podcast once. “Any form of grief will have a duration in which it will become your companion and you have to let it,” she added.

Ashok Chopra died after long battle with cancer in 2013, leaving a lasting imprint on Priyanka. As a tribute, she has a tattoo on her right hand that reads “Daddy’s lil girl”, inked in his handwriting.