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Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra are ‘like-minded, similar personalities’, says producer: ‘We treated her so badly’

Producer-director Shailendra Singh talks about Priyanka Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan's career arc and how both posses similar professional qualities.

3 min readNew DelhiJan 30, 2026 11:33 AM IST

Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra in a still from Don 2 (2011). (Photo: IMDb)

For many, Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra are an underutilised pairing who only worked together in two films, apart from a few special appearances. The Don stars had very different careers from that point on, with Priyanka moving to Hollywood a few years later. However, producer Shailendra Singh believes that despite the differences, both actors are, in fact, very similar people. During a recent interview, he spoke about how SRK and PC should be Indian cinema’s representatives and blamed Bollywood for not utilising Priyanka’s talent to the fullest.

Shailendra sat down to talk with Siddharth Kannan and was asked about Priyanka, as they were working in Bollywood during the same era. Recalling the time he met her, Shailendra said, “People like Priyanka Chopra should be the brand ambassadors of our industry. I have asked this question 10 times, ‘Who is the voice of Bollywood?’ Anyone just stands up and starts owning it. For the last 15 years it has been Karan Johar, but is he Bollywood? Why is he the voice?”

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He continued, “Priyanka should have been the voice of Bollywood, but humne uski aisi durdasha ki (we treated her so badly) that she left the country. We let go of our smartest actress. I said this in that interview, that Priyanka is three people. The brand, the person, and the actor. She was a firecracker of a woman and could have carried Bollywood’s reputation globally. But she left; even Virat Kohli left the country. He plays a match, and then he leaves immediately.”

Shailendra then started talking about Shah Rukh and explained how his professionalism and knowledge about the business helped him in becoming one of the most successful actors. He compared Priyanka to Shah Rukh and said, “If you see Shah Rukh, he is one of the most focused stars. He understands his work, and he knows who he is. He is aware what stardom is about, and he knows the cinema that he makes makes him. He understands the fact that he is cinema, and he is a silent operator. He is a thorough professional and never puts anyone down. Priyanka Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan… Top people. I mean, wow! These are the people who should be ambassadors of our industry.”

He added, “There are so like-minded. Similar personalities and attitude to business — no nonsense attitude. Both are supremely talented, and they are very identical in the way they have handled their careers.”

Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra worked together in the Don franchise.

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