The Yamuna (Sanskrit: यमुना,Urdu:جمنا sometimes called Jamuna or Jumna) is the largest tributary river of the Ganges (Ganga) in northern India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height 6,387 metres, on the south western slopes of Banderpooch peaks, in the Lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand, it travels a total length of and has a drainage system of 366,223 km², 40.2% of the entire Ganges Basin, before merging with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad, the site for the Kumbha Mela every twelve years.

It crosses several states, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, passing by Himachal Pradesh and later Delhi, and meets several of its tributaries on the way, including Tons, its largest and longest tributary, Chambal, which has its own large basin, followed by Sindh, the Betwa, and Ken. Most importantly it creates the highly fertile alluvial, Yamuna-Ganges Doab region between itself and the Ganges in the Indo-Gangetic plain. Nearly 57 million people depend on the Yamuna waters. With an annual flow of about 10,000 cubic billion metres (cbm) and usage of 4,400 cbm (of which irrigation constitutes 96 per cent), the river accounts for more than 70 per cent of Delhi’s water supplies. Just like the Ganges, the Yamuna too is highly venerated in Hinduism and worshipped as goddess Yamuna, throughout its course. In Hindu mythology, she is the daughter of Sun God, Surya, and sister of Yama, the God of Death, hence also known as Yami and according to popular legends, bathing in its sacred waters frees one from the torments of death.

The water of Yamuna is of "reasonably good quality" through its length from Yamunotri in the Himalayas to Wazirabad in Delhi, about 375 km, where the discharge of waste water through 15 drains between Wazirabad barrage and Okhla barrage renders the river severely polluted after Wazirabad in Delhi. One official describes the river as a "sewage drain" with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) values ranging from 14 to 28 mg/l and high coliform content. There are three main sources of pollution in the river, namely households and municipal disposal sites, soil erosion resulting from deforestation occurring to make way for agriculture along with resulting chemical wash-off from fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides and run-off from commercial activity and industrial sites.

Course and catchment

The source of Yamuna lies in the Yamunotri Glacier at a height 6,387 metres, on the south western slopes of Banderpooch peaks, which lie in the Mussoorie range of Lower Himalayas, in the Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, north of Haridwar. Yamunotri temple, a shrine dedicated to the goddess, Yamuna is one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism, and part of the Chota Char Dham Yatra circuit. Also standing close to the temple, on its 13 km trek route, that follows the right bank of the river, lies the ''Markendeya Tirtha'', where the sage Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana.

From here it flows southwards, for about 200 km through the Lower Himalayas and the Shivalik Hills Range and morainic deposited are found in its steep Upper Yamuna valley, highlighted with geomorphic features such as interlocking spurs, steep rock benches, and stream terraces. Large terraces formed over a long period of time can be seen in the lower course of the river, like ones near Naugoan. An important part of its early catchment area totalling 2,320 km² lies in Himachal Pradesh, and an important tributary draining the Upper Catchment Area is the Tons, Yamuna's largest and longest tributary, which rises from the Hari-ki-dun valley and holds water more than the main stream, which it merges after Kalsi near Dehradun. The entire drainage system of the river stretches all the way between Giri-Sutlej catchment in Himachal and Yamuna-Bhilangna catchment in Garhwal, indeed the southern ridge of Shimla is also drained into this system.

Other tributaries in the region are the Giri, Rishi Ganga, Kunta, Hanuman Ganga and Bata tributaries, which drain the Upper Catchment Area of the vast Yamuna basin. Thereafter the river descends on to the plains of Doon Valley, at Dak Pathar near Dehradun. Here through a weir dam, the water is diverted into a canal for power generation, little further down where Yamuna is met by the Assan River, lies the Assan barrage, which hosts a Bird Sanctuary as well. After passing the Sikh pilgrimage town of Paonta Sahib, it reaches Tajewala in Yamuna Nagar district, of Haryana, where a dam built in 1873, is the originating place of two important canals, the Western Yamuna Canal and Eastern Yamuna Canal, which irrigate the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) crosses Yamuna Nagar, Karnal and Panipat before reaching the Haiderpur treatment plant, which supplies part of municipal water supply to Delhi, further it also receives waste water from Yamuna Nagar and Panipat cities. Yamuna is replenished again after this by seasonal streams and groundwater accrual, in fact during the dry season, it remains dry in many stretches from Tajewala till Delhi, where it enters near Palla village after traversing 224 km.

The Yamuna also creates natural state borders between the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, and further down between the state of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Along with Ganges to which run almost parallel after it touches the Indo-Gangetic plain, the largest alluvial fertile plain in the world, it creates the Ganges-Yamuna Doab region spread across 69,000 km², one-third of the entire plain, and today known for its agricultural outputs, prominent among them is the cultivation of Basmati Rice. The plain itself supports one-third of India's population through its farming.

! State	! Catchment area (km2)	! % of catchment area
Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand	74,208	21.5 %
Himachal Pradesh	5,799	1.6
Haryana	21,265	6.5
Rajasthan	102,883	29.8
Madhya Pradesh	14,023	40.6
Delhi	1,485	0.4

Subsequently, it flows through the states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, before merging with the Ganges at a sacred spot known as Triveni Sangam in Allahabad after traversing a distance of . Here pilgrims travel by boats to platforms erected mid stream to offer prayers. During the Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years, the ghats around the Sangam are venue of large congregation of people, who take dip in the sacred waters of the confluence. The cities of Baghpat, Delhi, Noida, Mathura, Agra, Firozabad, Etawah, Kalpi, Hamirpur, Allahabad lie on its banks. At Etawah, it meets it another important tributary, Chambal, followed by a host of tributaries further down, including, Sindh, the Betwa, and Ken.

Ancient literature and history

Literally meaning "twins" in Sanskrit, as it runs parallel to the Ganges, its name is mentioned at many places in the Rig Veda, written during the Vedic period ca between 1700–1100 BC, and also in the later Atharvaveda, and the Brahmanas including Aitareya Brahmana and Shatapatha Brahmana. In Rig Veda, the story of the Yamuna describes her "excessive love" for her twin, Yama, who in turn asks her to find a suitable match for herself, which she does in Krishna. The tale is further detailed in the 16th century Sanskrit hymn, ''Yamunashtakam'', an ode by philosopher Vallabhacharya. Here the story of descent to meet her beloved Krishna and to purify the world has been put in verse. The hymn also he praises her for being the source of all spiritual abilities, while Ganga (Ganges) is considered an epitome of asceticism and higher knowledge and can grant us ''Moksha'' or liberation, it is Yamuna, who being a holder of infinite love and compassion, can grant us freedom from even death, the realm of her elder brother. She rushes down the Kalinda Mountain, and verily describes her as the daughter of Kalinda, giving her another name, ''Kalindi'', the backdrop of Krishna Leela. The text also talk about her water being of the colour of Lord Krishna, which is dark (Shyam).

It is mention as Iomanes (Ioames) in the surveys of Seleucus I Nicator, an officer of Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi, who visited India in 305 BC, later Megasthenes, a Greek traveller and geographer, visited India, sometimes before 288 BC, the date of Chandragupta's death, also mention the river in his text ''Indica'', where he described the region around it as the land of Surasena. In ''Mahabharata'', Indraprastha, the capital of Pandavas was also situated on the banks of Yamuna, it is considered to the modern day city of Delhi.

There is evidence indicating Yamuna was a tributary of the Ghaggar river, also known as the Vedic Sarasvati River in the ancient past and the rivers were collectively known as ''Sapta Sindhu'' or seven streams. It changed its course to east following a tectonic event in north India and became a tributary of the Ganges instead. As the it is believed that the Sarasvati river dried and it also meant the end of many Indus Valley civilization settlements, and creation of the Thar desert, the Ghaggar-Hakra river now flows only during the monsoon season. The importance of the Ganges-Yamuna river basin, and the Doab region as traditional the seat of power, can be derived from the fact, in much of early history of India, most of great empires, which ruled over majority of India, until the Chalukyas King, Vinayaditya, were based in the highly fertile Ganges-Yamuna basin, including the Magadha (ca 600 BC), Maurya Empire (321-185 BC), Sunga Empire (185-73 BCE), Kushan Empire (1st–3rd centuries CE), Gupta Empire (280–550 CE), and many had their capitals here, in cities like Pataliputra or Mathura. These rivers were revered throughout these kingdoms that flourished on their banks, in fact ever since the period of Chandragupta II (r. 375-415 CE), statues both Ganges and Yamuna became common throughout the Gupta Empire. Further to the South, images of the Ganges and Yamuna are found amidst shrines of the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas (753–982), as well as on their royal seals, and prior to them, the Chola Empire too added the river into their architectural motifs. The Three River Goddess shrine, next of famous Kailash rock-cut Temple at Ellora, built by Rashtrakuta King, Govinda III, shows Ganges flanked by the Yamuna and Saraswati.

Religious Significance

The goddess of the river, also known as Yami, is the sister of Yama, god of death, and the daughter of Surya, the Sun god, and his wife Saranyu. The river Yamuna is also connected to the religious beliefs surrounding Krishna and various stories connected with Him are found in Hindu religious texts, especially the Puranas, like that of ''Kaliya Daman'', the subduing of Kaliya, a poisonous ''Nāga'' snake, which had inhabited the river and terrorized the people of Braja. yamuna, according to the legends is closely related to Lord Krishna and Mahabharata. his father Vasudeva crossed the river with baby Krishna for a safer place. Krishna used to play along the banks of this holy river with his cowherd friends in his childhood days.

Important tributaries

Tons River, Yamuna's largest and longest tributary, rises in the 20,720 ft (6,315 m) high Bandarpoonch mountain, and has a large basin in Himachal Pradesh. It meets Yamuna below Kalsi near Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Hindon River, originates in the Saharanpur District, from Upper Shivalik in Lower Himalayan Range, is entirely rainfed and has a catchment area of 7, 083 km², traverses 400 km through Muzaffarnagar District, Meerut District, Baghpat District, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, before joining Yamuna just outside Delhi.

Ken River, flows through Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, it originates near village Ahirgawan in Jabalpur district and travels a distance of 427 km, before merging with the Yamuna at Chilla village, near Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, and has an overall drainage basin of 28,058 km².

Chambal River, known as ''Charmanvati'' in ancient times, flows through Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, with a drainage basin of 143,219 km² and traverses a total distance of 960 km, from its source in Vindhya Range, near Mhow and support hydro-power generation at Gandhi Sagar dam, Rana Pratap Sagar dam and Jawahar Sagar dam, before merging into the Yamuna south east f Sohan Goan, in Etawah district, shortly theerafter followed by another tributary, the Sindh River.

Irrigation

The importance of Yamuna in the Indo-Gangetic Plains is enhanced by its many canals, some dating back to as early as 14th century CE by the Tughlaq dynasty, which built the ''Nahr-i-Bahisht'' (Paradise), parallel to the river, it was later restored and extended by the Mughals in the first half of seventeenth century, by engineer Ali Mardan Khan, starting from Benawas where the river enters the plains and terminating near the Mughal capital, Shahjahanabad, the present city of Delhi. As the Yamuna enters the Northern plains near Dakpathar at a height of 790 meters, the Eastern Yamuna Canal commences at the Dakpathar Barrage and pauses at the Asan and Hathnikund Barrages before continuing south. The Hathnikund was built in 1999 and replaced the downstream Tajewala Barrage which was completed in 1873. The Western Yamuna Canal begins at the Hathnikund Barrage about 38 kilometers from Dakpathar and south of Doon Valley. The canals irrigate vast tracts of lands in the region, then once its passes Delhi, it feeds the Agra Canal built in 1874, which starts from Okhla barrage beyond the Nizamuddin bridge, and the high land between the Khari-Nadi and the Yamuna and before joining the Banganga river about below Agra. Thus during the summer season, the stretch above Agra resembles a minor stream.

A heavy freight canal, known as the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL), is being built westwards from near its headwaters through the Punjab region near an ancient caravan route and highlands pass to the navigable parts of the Sutlej-Indus watershed. This will connect the entire Ganges, which flows to the east coast of the subcontinent, with points west (via Pakistan). When completed, the SYL will allow shipping from India's east coast to the west coast and the Arabian sea, drastically shortening shipping distances and creating important commercial links for north-central India's large population. The canal starts near Palla village near Delhi, and was to transfer Haryana's share of from Indus Basin, though state of Haryana has completed its portion, Punjab is against its construction, and the state legislature passed the "Punjab Termination of Agreement Act 2004", which declared earlier agreements null and void.

Management

The stretch of the river from its origin to Okhla in Delhi is called “Upper Yamuna”. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed amongst the five basin states, namely Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi, on 12 May 1994 for sharing of the water of Upper Yamuna. This led to the formation of Upper Yamuna River Board under Ministry of Water Resources, whose primary functions are regulation of the allocation of available flows amongst the beneficiary states and also for monitoring the return flows; monitoring conserving and upgrading the quality of surface and ground water; maintaining hydro-meteorological data for the basin; over viewing plans for watershed management; monitoring and reviewing the progress of all projects up to and including Okhla barrage.

Flood forecasting systems are established at Poanta Sahib, where Tons, Pawar and Giri tributaries meet, followed by Tajewala, Kalanaur, Haryana and Mawai before Delhi, the river take 60 hours to travel from Tajewala to Delhi, thus allowing a two-day advance flood warning period. The Central Water Commission started flood-forecasting services in 1958 with the setting up of its first forecasting station on Yamuna at Delhi Railway Bridge.

Geography and wildlife

The catchment area of the river, especially till its touches the plains, is replete with alpine, semi alpine, temperate and sub-tropical vegetation, and vast areas are under forest over, and supports extensive animal life.

Yamuna is the frontier of the Asian Elephant. West of the Yamuna, there are no elephants to be found over 900 km of the western Himalayas and their foothills. The forests of the lower Yamuna offer ideal corridors for elephant movement. The principal forests to be found here are of sal, ''khair'' (acacia), and ''sissoo'' (rosewood) trees, and the Chir Pine forests of the Shivalik Hills.

Pollution

The waters of Yamuna distinguishable as "clear blue" as compared to silt-ridden yellow of the Ganges. However, due to high density population growth, rapid industrialization, today Yamuna is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, especially around New Delhi, the capital of India, which dumps about 58% of its waste into the river. Causes of pollution Delhi generates 1,900 million litre per day (mld) of sewage. Though numerous attempts have been made to clean it, the efforts have proven to be futile. Although the government of India has spent nearly $500 million to clean up the river, the river continues to be polluted with garbage while most sewage treatment facilities are underfunded or malfunctioning. In addition, the water in this river remains stagnant for almost 9 months in a year aggravating the situation. Delhi alone contributes around 3,296 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage in the river. The government of India over the next five years has prepared plans to rebuild and repair the sewage system and the drains that empty into the river. To address river pollution, certain measures of cleaning river have been taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India (GOI) in 12 towns of Haryana, 8 towns of Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi under an action plan (Yamuna Action Plan-YAP) which is being implemented since 1993 by the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is participating in the Yamuna Action Plan in 15 of the above 21 towns (excluding 6 towns of Haryana included later on the direction of Supreme Court of India) with soft loan assistance of 17.773 billion Japanese Yen (equivalent to about Rs. 700 crore INR) while GOI is providing the funds for the remaining 6 towns added later. The Indian government's plans to repair sewage lines is predicted to improve the water quality of the river 90% by the year 2010.

However in 2009, the Union government admitted to the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament), the failure of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP), saying that "rivers Ganga and Yamuna are no cleaner now than two decades ago" despite spending over Rs 1,700 crore to control pollution. According to a CSE official these plans adopted the Thames model, which based on a centralized sewage treatment system, this meant that huge sum of money and a 24-hr power supply were needed to manage the treatment plants, while only 8-hr power supply was available, contributing to their failure. In August 2009, he Delhi Jal Board (DJB) initiated its plan for resuscitating the Yamuna’s 22 km stretch in Delhi by constructing interceptor sewers, at the cost of about Rs 1,800 crore.

In popular culture

In 2005, the award winning documentary Jijivisha was made on Ganga.

Gallery

See also

List of rivers of India

Further reading

References

External links

The Geography of the Rigveda

Yamuna Action Plan

Category:Rivers of Haryana Category:Rivers of Uttarakhand Category:Rivers of Uttar Pradesh Category:Tributaries of the Ganges Category:Rigvedic rivers Category:Sacred rivers Category:Sanskrit words and phrases

als:Yamuna ar:نهر يمنا bn:যমুনা নদী (ভারত) be:Рака Джамна be-x-old:Джамна bg:Ямуна ca:Yamuna cs:Jamuna cy:Afon Yamuna da:Yamuna de:Yamuna et:Yamuna es:Río Yamuna eu:Iamuna ibaia fr:Yamunâ gl:Río Yamuna gu:યમુના ko:야무나 강 hi:यमुना नदी id:Sungai Yamuna it:Yamuna (fiume) kn:ಯಮುನಾ lt:Džamna ms:Sungai Yamuna ml:യമുന nl:Yamuna ne:यमुना नदी ja:ヤムナー川 no:Yamuna nn:Yamuna pnb:دریاۓ جمنا pl:Jamuna (rzeka) pt:Rio Yamuna ru:Джамна simple:Yamuna sk:Jamuna fi:Yamuna sv:Yamuna ta:யமுனை ஆறு te:యమునా నది uk:Ямуна ur:دریائے جمنا zh:亞穆納河

Name	Priyanka Chopra
Occupation	Actress, Singer
Birth place	Jamshedpur, Jharkand, India
Birth date	July 18, 1982
Nationality	Indian
Yearsactive	2002–present}}

Priyanka Chopra (, ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000. She is often referred to by the nickname "Piggy Chops", which was given to her by co-stars on the set of the film ''Bluffmaster!''

Chopra made her acting debut with the 2002 Tamil film ''Thamizhan''. The following year, she made her Bollywood film debut with ''The Hero: Love Story of a Spy'' and followed it with the hit ''Andaaz'', for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004, she became the second woman to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award, which she received for her critically acclaimed performance in ''Aitraaz''. Chopra would later have commercial success with films like ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' (2004), ''Krrish'' (2006) and ''Don – The Chase Begins Again''. In 2008, Chopra received a National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as a Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a model in ''Fashion'' and has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Bollywood.

Early life and background

Chopra was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand to Ashok Chopra and Madhu Akhauri, both physicians by profession. Chopra spent her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Newton, Massachusetts; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her father was in the army and thus her family moved quite frequently. Her father hailed from a family of Punjabi origin, settled in Bareilly and her mother comes from a family settled in Jamshedpur. She also has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years younger than she is.

Chopra studied at La Martiniere Girls' School in Lucknow as a young girl. She subsequently re-located to the U.S. where she studied in Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts and then in John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She returned to India and finished her high school at Army School in Bareilly. She began college at Jai Hind College in Mumbai, but left after winning the Miss World pageant.

Miss World

Chopra's mother sent in pictures of her for the Miss India contest. When she got called to participate, she was surprised and did it mainly to take a break from studying. She came in second place at the Femina Miss India 2000 competition, winning the Femina Miss India World title. She was subsequently sent to the Miss World pageant, where she was crowned Miss World 2000. In the same year, Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza, both also from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns respectively, in a rare triple victory for one country. When Chopra won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian woman to win the title, and the fourth Indian woman to win in a span of seven years.

Acting career

Debut and breakthrough (2002–03)

Chopra made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film ''Thamizhan'' playing the role of Priya, the love interest of the protaginist in the film played by Vijay. The film was praised for its wit, although the depth of Chopra's character was seen as lacking. Chopra also sang playback in the film, singing "Ullathai Killadhe" along with Vijay. In 2003, she appeared in her first Bollywood film, opposite Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta in the Anil Sharma film ''The Hero: Love Story of a Spy''. She played a supporting role as a doctor named Shaheen in the film that ''The New York Times'' described as "ripping its text from the seething border tensions between India and Pakistan, spicing its conflict with hot-tempered religious zealots bent on nuclear havoc". Despite being one of the highest grossing films of that year, the overall film was not well received by critics. Chopra was awarded mostly good reviews for her debut Hindi performance. Later that year she appeared in Raj Kanwar's ''Andaaz'', playing the character of Jiya who falls in love with Raj Malhotra, played by Akshay Kumar. The film was a success at the box office, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Rediff.com said of her role, "Priyanka Chopra alone clicks with the audience, thanks to her skimpy outfits."

Initial success and struggle phase (2004–08)

Her next few films released in 2004 ''Plan'', ''Kismat'' and ''Asambhav'' performed poorly at the box office. Later that year she appeared in David Dhawan's romantic comedy ''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi'' playing the role of a young fashion designer Rani along with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. The film turned out to be the third-highest grossing film of that year. She next starred in Abbas-Mustan's thriller ''Aitraaz''. It was her first negative role and her performance was critically acclaimed. She earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award, becoming the second and last female actor to win the award after Kajol (the category has been retired since 2008). She also received a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for the role. Film critic Subhash K. Jha noted, "A star is born! As the predatory social-climbing seductress who can go to any length to satiate her lust for life, Priyanka Chopra rocks the scene like never before. The film is undoubtedly a triumph for Priyanka Chopra. With half a smile, a twitch of her lip and a movement of her eyebrow she seems to slip into her man-eater's role with captivating ease". In 2005, she starred in six films. Four of them, ''Blackmail'', ''Karam'', ''Yakeen'' and ''Barsaat'' failed to do well. However, her performance in ''Yakeen'' garnered good reviews from critics.

Her other two 2005 releases, ''Waqt: The Race Against Time'' and ''Bluffmaster!'' performed moderately at the box office. In 2006, Chopra starred in two of the most successful films of the year: ''Krrish'', in which she shared the screen with Hrithik Roshan and Rekha, and ''Don – The Chase Begins Again'', alongside Shahrukh Khan which was a remake of the 1978 film ''Don''. She played the character of Roma, a role which was played by Zeenat Aman in the original movie.

In 2007, she appeared in Nikhil Advani's ensemble piece ''Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love''. Despite a promising opening, the movie was a financial failure. Chopra's next release, the much-delayed ''Big Brother'', also underperformed at the box-office. In 2008, Chopra acted in six films. Her first four films, ''Love Story 2050'', ''God Tussi Great Ho'', ''Chamku'' and ''Drona'', were critically and commercially unsuccessful. Critics started panning her for choosing the wrong movies and criticising her performances. Still, she was noted for her physical performance in ''Drona'' with Rediff writing, "Chopra truly impresses with her convincing action heroine skills."

''Fashion'' and recent work (2008–present)

After a series of flops, Chopra was cast in Madhur Bhandarkar's ''Fashion'' (2008) for the lead role of Meghna Mathur. Revolving around the fashion world through Chopra's role of an ambitious model, the film was a critical success. Her performance in the film was appreciated and earned her several awards for Best Actress including the National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Subhash K Jha said of her performance, "Her transformation from the bubbly Chandigarh girl to the super-ambitious supermodel, who dumps her boyfriend and conscience to pursue her dreams, is achieved with a gentle subtlety and bridled passion. This is Priyanka’s coming-of-age film. She looks like a zillion bucks. And acts like a woman who connects with the darkest, most desperate human emotions without wallowing in them." Chopra's final release of the year was Tarun Mansukhani's romantic comedy ''Dostana''. The film was a moderate financial success. Rajeev Masand wrote about her performance, "Priyanka Chopra, is at complete ease, slipping effortlessly into the role of the hottie-with-a-heart-of-gold; she looks smashing in this film, better than she's ever looked before."

In 2009, she appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's caper thriller ''Kaminey'' alongside Shahid Kapoor, playing the role of a feisty Marathi girl named Sweety. Her performance in the film was described by critic Taran Adarsh as "first-rate", who further stated, "She's so much in sync with her character... [and] gets the Maharashtrian accent perfect". She subsequently appeared in Ashutosh Gowariker's romantic comedy ''What's Your Raashee?'', a film which made Chopra the first actress in cinema history to portray 12 distinct characters in one film. She was reportedly being considered for inclusion in the upcoming edition of ''Guinness World Records'' for this feat. The film itself was a financial and critical failure, but Chopra's performance in the film was appreciated by critics.

In 2010, Chopra appeared in Jugal Hansraj's ''Pyaar Impossible'' where she portrayed the role of a college beauty who eventually falls in love with a geek. The film was a commercial and critical failure. Her next release, Siddharth Anand's ''Anjaana Anjaani'' alongside Ranbir Kapoor, got a good initial response at the box office, but was not well-received by the critics.

In early 2011, Chopra appeared in Vishal Bhardwaj's black comedy ''7 Khoon Maaf'', in which she portrayed the role of an Anglo-Indian woman who murders her seven husbands. Her performance in the film garnered mixed reviews by the critics. She has completed the filming of Farhan Akhtar's ''Don 2 – The Chase Continues'' alongside Shahrukh Khan. She has commenced the filming of Anurag Basu's ''Barfee'', in which she is playing a mentally challenged girl, as well as Kunal Kohli's next venture opposite Shahid Kapoor in which she plays a yesteryear actress. and Karan Johar's ''Agneepath'' remake, the filming of both being held in back-to-back schedules. Recently, she has also confirmed to be reprising her role in ''Krrish 2'' alongside Hrithik Roshan.

Music career

Chopra is also a trained western classical singer. In August 2011, she signed a worldwide recording agreement with Universal Music and Desi Hits to record and release her first music album. The album will be released in North America with Desi Hits through Interscope Records and in other international markets on UK's Island Records. Her music career will be managed by Troy Carter, chief executive officer of Atom Factory. The album, which will be produced by Universal Music Group and Desi Hits will contain about ten pop songs and will release worldwide, sometime in 2012. Chopra is currently writing and recording the album in English.

Other work

Chopra became a television host with the Colors' reality show ''Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 3''. She replaced actor Akshay Kumar who hosted the previous two seasons. The show, which premiered on 6 September 2010, beat the opening ratings of the previous two seasons.

Chopra participated in a concert tour titled ''Temptations 2004'' with other Bollywood actors and actresses, including Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal. She sang, danced and performed in skits. She was also offered the opportunity do the playback singing of "Tinka Tinka" in ''Karam'' (2005). She declined, wanting to concentrate on acting, but later sang the song live on the TV program Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

On 12 December 2009, she was present as a judge for the Miss World 2009 competition held in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2010.

Chopra continues to do some modelling work, such as appearing for fashion designer Ritu Kumar's collection at HDIL India Couture Week. She has a number of endorsements and is one of the top paid Bollywood actresses in this respect. She has represented brands including Lux, Ponds, Sunsilk, Hero Honda, Nokia, Tag Heuer, J. Hampsted and Virgin Comic.

Awards and honours

Chopra has won several movie awards, including the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award in 2003 for ''Andaaz'', the Filmfare Best Villain Award in 2005 for ''Aitraaz'', and the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 2009 for ''Fashion''. She also received the 2009 National Film Award for Best Actress for ''Fashion''.

In 2006, the UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' ranked her first on their list of "Asia's Sexiest Women", and an eBay online poll crowned her the Style Diva of the year.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	''Thamizhan''	Priya
2003	''The Hero: Love Story of a Spy''	Shaheen Zakaria
2003	''Andaaz''	Jiya	Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2004		Rani
2004		Sapna
2004	''Asambhav''	Alisha
2004	''Mujhse Shaadi Karogi''	Rani Singh
2004	''Aitraaz''	Mrs. Sonia Roy	Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005		Mrs. Rathod
2005		Shalini
2005	''Waqt: The Race Against Time''	Pooja (Mitali)
2005		Simar
2005		Kajal
2005	''Bluffmaster!''	Simmi Ahuja
2006	''Taxi Number 9211''		Special appearance
2006	''36 China Town''	Seema	Special appearance
2006	''Alag''		Special appearance in song "Sabse Alag"
2006	''Krrish''	Priya
2006		Anu
2006	''Don: The Chase Begins Again''	Roma
2007	''Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love''	Kamini
2007		Aarthi Sharma
2007	''Om Shanti Om''	Herself	Special appearance in song "Deewangi Deewangi"
2008	''My Name is Anthony Gonsalves''	Herself	Special appearance
2008	''Love Story 2050''	Sana / Zeisha	Double role
2008	''God Tussi Great Ho''	Alia Kapoor
2008		Shubhi
2008		Sonia
2008		Meghna Mathur	National Film Award for Best Actress Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2008		Neha Melwani
2009	''Billu''	Herself	Special appearance in song "You Get Me Rockin & Reeling"
2009	''Kaminey''	Sweety Shekhar Bhope	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2009	''What's Your Raashee?''	12 roles	Anjali / Vishakha / Kajal / Hansa / Mallika / Pooja / Rajni / Nandini / Bhavna / Jhankhana / Sanjna / Chandrika
2010	''Pyaar Impossible''	Alisha Merchant
2010	''Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai''	Herself	Special appearance
2010	''Anjaana Anjaani''	Kiara
2011	''7 Khoon Maaf''	Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes
2011	''Ra.One''		Special appearance
2011	''Don 2: The Chase Continues''	Roma	Post-production
2012		Kaali	Filming
2012	''Barfee''		Filming
2012	''Teri Meri Kahaani''		Filming
2012	''Krrish 2''	Priya	Pre-production

See also

List of Indian film actresses

Miss India

References

External links

Official Website

Priyanka Chopra on Bollywood Hungama

}} Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Miss World winners Category:Miss World 2000 delegates Category:Femina Miss India winners Category:Military brats Category:Indian female models Category:Old Martinians Category:Indian Hindus Category:Punjabi people Category:People from Bareilly Category:People from Jharkhand Category:National Film Award winners Category:Indian game show hosts

ar:بريانكا جوبرا az:Priyanka Çopra bn:প্রিয়াঙ্কা চোপড়া de:Priyanka Chopra el:Πριγιάνκα Τσόπρα es:Priyanka Chopra fa:پریانکا چوپرا fr:Priyanka Chopra gu:પ્રિયંકા ચોપરા hi:प्रियंका चोपड़ा it:Priyanka Chopra jv:Priyanka Chopra kn:ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕಾ ಚೋಪ್ರಾ ml:പ്രിയങ്ക ചോപ്ര mr:प्रियांका चोप्रा nl:Priyanka Chopra no:Priyanka Chopra pnb:پریانکا چوپڑہ ps:پريانکا چوپړا pl:Priyanka Chopra pt:Priyanka Chopra ro:Priyanka Chopra rmy:प्रियंका चोपड़ा ru:Чопра, Приянка sq:Priyanka Chopra fi:Priyanka Chopra sv:Priyanka Chopra ta:பிரியங்கா சோப்ரா te:ప్రియాంక చోప్రా th:ปริยังกา โจปรา tg:Приянка Чопра vi:Priyanka Chopra zh-yue:裴莉言嘉 zh:佩麗冉卡·曹帕拉