MUMBAI: From Miss World to an American network drama series, and the first Indian woman to feature on the cover of American Vogue in 2018, Priyanka Chopra is the first Bollywood star to ever reach Hollywood's upper echelons. And much of the credit for Priyanka's international success goes to Anjula Acharia.

Who is Anjula Acharia…? In 2007 Anjula Acharia is a celebrity manager who introduced artists like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears to emerging global markets, especially India. Anjula co-founded Desi Hits! a media company backed by Jimmy Iovine (Interscope/BeatsByDre founder). Anjula signed with actress Priyanka Chopra and helped her foray into the West. She's been managing Priyanka Chopra for many years now.

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From convincing her to make inroads into the West, helping her sign her first deal with ABC to advising her to invest in Bumble India, Anjula has been the brains behind Priyanka Chopra -- the global sensation.

While talking to Forbes, Anjula had said, "I remember when I first signed Priyanka, there were a lot of people, particularly in India, who were so negative. I was at this dinner, at my friend Manish Goyal's house in New York, with some prominent people from the Hindi film industry and they were just so negative about her. They were like, 'She is never going to work, I don't know why you are wasting your time, blah blah."

“I remember feeling really hurt actually, at the time. I remember being like, 'Am I wasting my time?' But this is where your self-belief comes in. It seemed like a crazy dream, right, to bring somebody from India to Hollywood? But I got to tell you, when I look in Priyanka's eyes, I just believe. Priyanka is just undeniable, she is a disruptor," she added.

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Anjula Acharia, a celebrity manager and owns ‘A-Series Investments’. Anjula manages actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas and is an executive producer on Evil Eye, a horror series on Amazon Prime Video. Anjula was recently named on Billboard's 'International Power Players' List.

On many occasions including birthdays and anniversaries, Priyanka and Anjula have both taken to their respective social media handles to convey how much their unique bond of friendship means to them. 

Credit: DNA/Forbes