Film producer Suneel Darshan has stirred the pot with a bold revelation about global icon Priyanka Chopra’s early Bollywood days. In a candid chat with Minutes of Masala, Darshan shared that before casting her in the 2003 hit Andaaz, he suggested she should “do something about the bridge of her nose.” The film, which marked the acting debuts of both Priyanka and Lara Dutta alongside Akshay Kumar, was a box office success and pivotal to Priyanka’s rise to stardom.

Darshan, speaking about his first impressions, admitted, “She wasn’t conventionally good-looking, but she had a powerful presence and an alluring voice.” He said that despite his critique, Priyanka took his advice professionally. “Her father and mother were such good doctors. It wasn’t an issue, they got it repaired immediately,” he added.

Interestingly, Priyanka has spoken publicly about that very surgery, revealing years later that the nasal operation, done for a sinus issue, went wrong and dramatically changed her appearance. In an interview with Howard Stern, she recalled being labelled “Plastic Chopra” and said the botched surgery left her devastated, nearly wrecking her Bollywood debut before it even began.

Despite the setback, Darshan believed in her potential. “She had something magnetic,” he said, adding that although the spotlight was originally on Lara Dutta, Priyanka’s talent and determination eventually made her stand out.

Andaaz, directed by Raj Kanwar and produced by Darshan, featured a love triangle and catchy songs that became chartbusters. But it’s the behind-the-scenes story that’s now making headlines—especially with Darshan’s blunt remarks resurfacing just as the industry continues to reflect on how women, especially debutantes, were moulded to fit a “Bollywood-ready” image.