Esquire India’s Cover Star Priyanka Chopra Jonas Is Proof You Can Do It All

There’s a version of this story that begins with a crown—Miss World 2000, age 18—and then rushes headlong through the decades: box office smashes (Don, Krrish, Barfi!), career-defining performances (Fashion, Bajirao Mastani, Mary Kom), and a rare leap from Bollywood stardom to Hollywood permanence. But that would miss the point.

Because Priyanka Chopra Jonas has never been the sum of her accolades—she’s been the architect of her own narrative. And guess what? She’s still building.

I don’t think it’s surprising to anyone that there’s only one Indian actor who has truly done it all, and still isn’t even close to being done. She doesn’t just star in global blockbusters, walk the MET Gala in experimental couture, and headline $300 million action series—she does it while producing, investing, parenting, advocating, and occasionally dropping a wildly honest one-liner at a symposium that sets the internet ablaze.

From the girl who once won Miss World in 2000, to the woman who now helms her own production company and global brand empire, Priyanka Chopra Jonas has long outgrown the labels Bollywood tried to box her into. There was Aitraaz (2004), where she took the villain and ran away with the movie. Fashion (2008), where she wore both the chaos and the crown. Dostana (2008), where every girl wanted the sari look of the desi girl. There was also Dil Dhadakne Do (2015) and The White Tiger (2021). She never picked easy.

And when the industry got too claustrophobic, she left. She moved across the world, signed a deal with ABC Studios, and became the first South Asian woman to headline an American network show. Quantico made her a household name in the West. Since then, she’s played everything from a tech CEO (The White Tiger) to a super-spy (Citadel) to a villain in a swimsuit (Baywatch). She’s been in The Matrix (2021). She’s executive-produced award contenders. She’s shared billing with Sam Heughan, Celine Dion, Keanu Reeves, and now John Cena and Idris Elba in Heads of State (2025). And she’ll soon be seen opposite Mahesh Babu in SS Rajamouli’s next mega project, and in The Bluff alongside Karl Urban.

But her filmography is only part of the story. The rest lives in the way she’s built a life that stretches from Mumbai to LA, via London, Paris, Cannes and wherever the next shoot, summit, or Jonas Brothers tour takes her. She married Nick Jonas in a Sabyasachi veil that launched a thousand Pinterest boards, and together they now raise their daughter Malti Marie away from the glare but never out of frame. Her investments range from tech platforms to sustainable beauty. Her memoir, Unfinished, landed on the New York Times bestseller list. She’s a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a regular at Davos and Paris Fashion Week, a name on Time 100 and Forbes’ Most Powerful Women—multiple times over.

This cover—shot across time zones, Zoom screens, and a few well-timed glances—is a moment. But Priyanka’s never been about the moment. She’s about legacy. About choosing longevity over trend. About showing up, every time, with full intention and a fresh slate.

There’s a reason her name still lands with weight. Priyanka Chopra Jonas doesn’t follow the script. She writes the damn thing.

Presenting the first-ever woman on the cover of Esquire India.

Credits

Chairperson: Avarna Jain

COO: Jamal Shaikh

Editor and words by: Rahul Gangwani

Photography: Matthew Sprout

Styling: Heathermary Jackson at Muse Creatives NYC

Hair: DJ Quintero at the Wall Group

Makeup: Francelle Daly for Love+Craft+Beauty

Producer: Ben Clark-Spear

Production Assistants: Talalima Mobley

Photo Assistants: Doug Graves and Joshua Cotto

Digital Tech: Jared Christensen

Styling Assistants: Elijah Holluingsworth, Amy Aguilar

Editorial Mentor: Saira Menezes

Managing Editor: Sonal Nerurkar

Fashion Director: Vijendra Bhardwaj

Deputy Editor: Mayukh Majumdar

Location: Go Studios, New York

Catering: M&G Food Stuff

Artist Reputation Management Agency: Raindrop Media

Bookings Editor: Varun Shah

Esquire India Editorial: Saurav Bhanot, Prannay Pathak, Nitin Sreedhar, Abhya Adlakha, Rudra Mulmule, Riti Ghai, Kashish Mishra, Komal Shetty