Priyanka Chopra made her debut with the Tamil film Thamizhan (2002) opposite Tamil superstar Vijay, the newly elected Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. While Vijay has been in the headlines for his blockbuster political debut, Priyanka Chopra’s praise for him has resurfaced online. In a recent interview, Priyanka said she tasted her first brush with fame while working with Vijay on the film.
On Sunday, Vijay took oath as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after his party TVK emerged as the single majority party winning 108 seats this Assembly Election.
In a 2026 interview on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Priyanka was asked about her debut film.
‘Vijay Is Extremely Popular’
“It was a movie called Thamizhan in the Tamil language in India. I learned phonetically because it was impossible to learn a new language. But I memorized my lines. My first exposure to fame came from my first co-actor. His name is Vijay, who’s extremely popular. There used to be hundreds and hundreds of people standing there to watch him while he was dancing or doing his thing. It was my first movie, and I had no idea what happens behind the scenes—we just saw what we saw in movie theaters. I remember thinking it must feel like being a demi-god,” Priyanka said on the podcast.
‘Priyanka Couldn’t Match Steps With Vijay’
In an earlier interview with Filmygyan, Priyanka’s mother, Madhu Chopra, shared details of the debutant’s perseverance and resilience in making a lasting impression.
Madhu Chopra divulged that Priyanka didn’t initially match steps with Vijay. But Priyanka didn’t give up and practiced until it was perfect. Sharing the shooting experience, Madhu Chopra said, “When she was shooting for the film, she began to like it. Despite not knowing the language, she enjoyed it. The team helped her and treated her with a lot of respect. Vijay starred in the film; he is a perfect gentleman. Raju Sundaram was the choreographer. In dance, Priyanka was okay, but she couldn’t initially match steps with Vijay.”
She added, “She would practice with the choreographer from morning to evening. Then she started enjoying it. This also helped her build her character and realize that she wanted to pursue this as a career.”
Directed by debutant Majith and produced by G. Venkateswaran, Thamizhan became a commercial success.
The story revolves around a lawyer named Surya who curbs corruption cases, fights a criminal boss, and finally makes the basics of Indian law available as a free book to common people.
