Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ memoir, Unfinished, promises to document the story of her rise to fame — and of her life before becoming the icon she is today.
The actor, producer and entrepreneur has over 50 Indian and Hollywood film and television credits to her name already as well as the Miss World title.
Moreover, she also has her own production company, a hair-care brand, numerous magazine covers, over 60 million followers on social media and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadorship, among a host of awards and accolades.
Now, she turns author which documents 38 years of her life in Penguin Books’ Unfinished.
Sharing a few words on this, PCJ says in a media interaction:
“When I decided to write it, I was coming up to 20 years of being in the business so I wanted to commemorate 20 years of my life in entertainment and I kind of wanted to write something like letters to my younger self.”
She adds: “I’ve taken out a few things that were really, really personal, but it still shocked me how I’ve dug in so deep.
There are things in this book I’ve spoken about that I have never spoken about and that I probably will never speak about again.
But I think I was feeling very introspective and also very secure in where I am as a woman, as a person, that I felt like it was OK to deal with my baggage.”
In a social media post, the superstar also talked about the inspiration for the book’s title.
The Instagram caption reads as:
“Ironically, I named this memoir years before I started writing it.
Having been a public person now for 20 years, with so much life to live and a long list of things to check off my list personally and professionally, I am very much Unfinished.
BUT the funny thing about writing a memoir is that it forces you to look at things differently, reconciling so many things you thought you had put to bed.
In doing so I’ve realised that being “unfinished” has a deeper meaning for me, and has in fact been one of the most common threads of my life.”
The 244-page book does not just chronicle the international icon’s life, it’s also an ode to all the aspiring dreamers out there but is yet real and rooted.
The style of writing and tone of the memoir closely resembles Chopra Jonas. The reactions like ‘LOL’ or the occasional hashtags are exactly how you’d expect her to speak in reality too.
As the purpose of a memoir is to document one’s memories and experiences, this does that quite vividly.
Going by the format of the text, events are not always narrated in chronological order, but still manages to capture the reader’s attention without being distracted by past or future references.
Whilst we know about the dark and misogynistic side of Bollywood, there is nothing written in the memoir which will necessarily ‘shock’ us, nor does it go into detail about any controversial topics within the fraternity.
Of course, it’s understandable as to why there is no major ‘exposé’ of this sort because that is something very, very personal and potentially, troublesome.
But reading PCJ’s (first-hand) perspective of working in the Hindi film industry just makes you applaud and respect her more.
Just understanding her sentiments about what an ‘outsider’ goes through in the glamour and entertainment industry is itself quite eye-opening.
What also makes this memoir work is Priyanka’s honesty with the way life has panned out for her.
Reading about her days growing up in various locations and how as an Indian she adjusted to American society during teenhood is also quite endearing. At times, it reminded me of Never Have I Ever.
For any person, regardless of their profession, to delve into dark-spaces of their lives and talk openly about dealing with difficult times, however, Priyanka does.
With public figures like herself speaking so openly about dealing with grief continues to normalise such important discussions.
Moreover, the fact that she addresses several other societal issues in her book also leaves the reader thinking deeply about the world we live in.
Speaking of endearing, the way she recounts her emotions about meeting Nick Jonas and her marriage too is beautiful… Almost fairy-tale like.
In fact, the way she explains the rituals of a Hindu wedding in such detail and describing it in an aesthetic manner, explaining its profound significance so beautifully.
I’ve never seen an artist of such calibre, who has crossed over to the West, talk about this with such pride and deep understanding. As a British-Indian, of the Hindu faith, it makes me overjoyed.
I also feel that such anecdotes and references will definitely enlighten (and perhaps educate) Western audiences/readers to our culture and society in an organic manner.
Like any memoir promises, this definitely humanises the essence of being a celebrity.
Throughout the duration, we are taken on her life journey and feel instrumental in every chapter of PCJ’s life. Definitely a great read.
Watch our chat with Priyanka Chopra Jonas here:
Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas is published by Michael Joseph on Thursday 11th February, £20, Hardback: Unfinished: Amazon.co.uk: Jonas, Priyanka Chopra: 9780241512845: Books
