From an aeronautical engineer to Hollywood, here's Priyanka Chopra's rise to fame

Priyanka Chopra has become one of the most recognised and sought after celebrities in today's world and this 34-year-old is well on her way to conquering Hollywood with her countless achievements in the west.

In an interview with Star World India, the Bollywood actor speaks about being in the limelight and letting go of the 'carefree teen persona' to an ambitious, goal-oriented woman she is today.

"I've been in the public since I was 17-years-old and it's really all I've known. Being crowned Miss India and then Miss World, suddenly I went on from becoming an aeronautical engineer, carefree teenager to standing on a world stage, where I have to have a point of view on probably the most important world events," says Priyanka.

However, she's one of the few Bollywood superstars to have made it big without the support of anybody and for that she only has herself to thank: "The innate ability to recognise opportunities that are presented to me gave me courage. I tried my hand in the Hindi film industry; I literally had no training, no godfather, no experience. I guess i just had a belief in myself, and it's been an incredible journey with highs, lows, successes, failures, joy, sadness, and everything else in the middle, but it's been all my own," she adds.

The star was crowned Miss World, she has since been awarded the National Award and Padmi Shri in India. She also won People's Choice Award for her American TV show Quantico earlier this year, she was also a presenter at the Oscars, and she's starring alongside Dwayne Johnson in her Hollywood debut Baywatch. Her steep ascent wouldn't have been possible if the actor hadn't pushed the boundaries for herself.

"I was never the kind of a person who had to be put in a box. I love to challenge the status quo, to pursuit an idea, a dream that I had for myself. I always wanted to give those thoughts a shot," explains the actor.

Priyanka's upcoming film Baywatch is set for a 2017 release. She will also be seen as a judge on American reality TV series Project Runway alongside Heidi Klum.