Bollywood’s Priyanka Chopra to play Punjabi woman in rom-com alongside Mindy Kaling

Another project is in the pipeline for Quantico star Priyanka Chopra — this time she will be seen as a Punjabi woman alongside Never Have I Ever co-creator Mindy Kaling in a film.

In an interview with Forbes, Kaling said she and Chopra will be playing cousins in the romantic comedy that will revolve around a big fat Indian wedding. But it will see both Kaling and Chopra hailing from different cultural backgrounds, The Office star as an Indian-American Bengali girl from the east coast of the US while the Baywatch actor will be a Punjabi woman from India.

“We’re really proud of it, we show South Asian Americans that are from Southern Indian. Then we show a Muslim Indian girl. Culturally, we see how they’re different from each other. The Asian experience is not a monolith. Why would people necessarily know that if they don’t have shows that explain and explore that difference?” Kaling said.

“I have this movie with Priyanka Chopra, she’s Punjabi Indian from India and I’m an Indian American Bengali girl from the East Coast. It’s so different and that’s what makes our dynamic so fun together.”

Two years ago Kaling had told FirstPost that she was writing a film influenced by the love both her and Chopra have for India. She had said at the time, “What’s so fun about writing that movie is playing with the expectations that Indians and Indian Americans have of each other. I’ve learned so much from Priyanka and her love of India. It’s enhanced my own love and understanding of India.”

On the work front, Chopra was recently seen shooting for Amazon Prime’s web series Citadel. She will also be seen in Ma Anand Sheela’s biopic with director Barry Levinson, another rom-com film It’s All Coming Back to Me. Along with these projects she is also set to make her Bollywood comeback in Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zaraa alongside Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif.