Kamal Ghorui
Priyanka Chopra achieved stardom quite early on in her career after she became Miss World at the age of 18. Soon, she started getting movie offers and her mother Madhu Chopra was constantly by her side while she dealt with all of it. Her mother had earlier revealed since she was academically inclined, she was hesitant to enter movies and even shed tears while signing the contract for her debut film ‘Thamizhan’ opposite Vijay. In an old interview, Priyanka’s mother had once spoken about it. To support her daughter’s early career, Madhu Chopra began travelling extensively with Priyanka. In the process, the family dynamic shifted, and Madhu has acknowledged that her son, Siddharth Chopra, was deeply affected. With Priyanka on the road and her husband, Dr Ashok Chopra, occupied with his medical practice, Siddharth was often left to fend for himself and, as Madhu put it, “just grew up on his own.”
Reflecting on this phase, Madhu admitted that she carried regret over how little parental presence Siddharth had during his formative years. Speaking on the Something Bigger Show, she had said in an old interview, “Siddharth was the collateral damage to all of Priyanka’s success, because their dad (Dr Ashok Chopra) was working, I was with Priyanka, he just grew up on his own and he was a teenager at that time. He, I think, was collateral damage for me.” She became emotional while recalling those years and added, “When I think about it, these are certain things that you had to deal with.”In another appearance, this time on Dr Stuti Khare Shukla’s YouTube channel, Madhu spoke about the many responsibilities she juggled while raising Priyanka and Siddharth, managing Priyanka’s early career, running her medical practice and taking care of the household. Despite the pressures, she emphasised the importance she placed on meaningful time with her children. “When I was with them, it was 100 percent children’s time. That was really good. I think that’s how they could imbibe the work ethics also, that you have to work hard if you want to achieve something and also give time to yourself, your family and your life,” she said.Madhu also highlighted the differences between her two children while discussing their approach to work and routine. She revealed that Priyanka inherited her disciplined mindset. “I am an early riser. I wake up at 5:30 am and I start my day. My son is not such an early riser but still he is up by 8:30 am. But Priyanka, depending on the kind of work she is doing, she will be up at 4 also if needed,” she shared.
