Madhu Chopra celebrated her birthday in 2022 with a solo European trip, which is just one of the ways she inspires her daughter Priyanka Chopra. For the actress, her mom makes overachieving look cool.
Priyanka Chopra's mother, Madhu Chopra, left her small town to pave her way on her terms. Along with her various medical degrees, she is proficient in nine languages and is a qualified pilot. She joined the Indian Armed Forces as a physician after her marriage.
Priyanka saw her parent's union as one of equals and "fairy-tale perfect." The couple resolved never to fight in front of their two children, but the actress sensed discord when spotting her mother in the kitchen as she hardly ever cooked, and they cooled their excessive flirting.
Dr Madhu Chopra during the launch of Dr Arvind Lal's book "Corporate Yogi", at ITC Maurya, on April 11, 2018 in New Delhi, India. | Source: Getty Images
Madhu Chopra Was Born into a Medical Family
Madhu Akhouri was the firstborn of five children to Manhar Krishna Akhouri, a physician, and Madhu Jyotsna, then a nursing student, on June 16 in the 1950s. She grew up in a middle-class household in Bihar, now known as Jharkhand, in the eastern part of India.
Her mother, Madhu Sr., was raised Christian and baptized Mary John. She was "shunned from the church" when she married Manhar, a Hindu.
Her last wish of being buried with her family at her home church was not permitted years later. According to Priyanka's 2021 book, "Unfinished," her grandparents had ties to the local government.
Priyanka Chopra and her mother Madhu Chopra are seen leaving the Cafe Marly, at Louvre museum, on November 18, 2018, in Paris, France. | Source: Getty Images
Madhu Sr was among the first women in "her division to become a member of the Legislative Assembly in Bihar." Manhar was a member of Congress in Bihar and a trade union leader.
During political unrest in the Bihar region in the 70s, Madhu Jr's four younger siblings were sent away to live with family members.
Priyanka explains in her memoir that it is a common practice in her and other Indian families to take care of relatives' children "for periods of time because of work, educational opportunities, or for other reasons." The "Quantico" star has also had cousins stay with her.
Dr Madhu Chopra and actress Priyanka Chopra (R) arrive at the 'Pahuna: The Little Visitors' premiere during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. | Source: Getty Images
While her younger children were away, Madhu Sr. was able to pour her energy into her studies. The teenage Madhu Jr was a "seventies flower child," driven to school in a topless Jeep with her favorite tunes blaring. Priyanka wrote:
"[ Madhu Jr's] parents treated her like a young adult instead of like a child-something she would follow in her own parenting style-and she was able to develop into the fiercely independent person she was meant to be."
Madhu Jr. qualified as an ear, nose, and throat specialist (ENT) at one of India's top medical training institutions, the Armed Forces Medical College in Wanowrie, Pune.
Ashok Chopra and Madhu Chopra attend the launch of the M.A.C and Mickey Contractor's collection on January 22, 2011 in Mumbai,India | Source: Getty Images
Madhu Chopra's Husband Liked Her at First Sight
Major Dr. Ashok Chopra, born in August 1950, was captivated when he spotted Dr. Madhu's long hair down her back at a party in Bareilly at the dawn of 1981.
She had moved to the small town in Uttar Pradesh to practice medicine at Clara Swain Hospital, away from the long shadow of her dad.
Her mother stayed with her unmarried daughter as a chaperone at a hotel, where Major Dr. Ashok tracked her down the evening after first seeing her. Though his visit was unannounced, the two women talked to him for a while.
When he tried the same tactic the following evening, he was disappointed that his crush was away on her night shift. Undeterred, Major Dr. Ashok invented an "important medical puzzle" for Dr. Madhu to solve when he visited her at Clara Swain.
After many attempts at asking her out on a date after his "miraculous recovery," Dr. Ashok and Madhu Sr finally relented when he brought a married friend who planned a small house party.
Ashok proposed three dances into the soiree, but it would take a few more dates for the young ENT to "hear the bells" that he was the right man for her.
Priyanka Chopra with her mother Madhu Chopra and brother Siddharth Chopra during funeral of her father Ashok Chopra at Oshiwara, Jogeshwari, on June 10, 2013 in Mumbai, India. | Source: Getty Images
His family is from Ambala, a city in north-western India, and his father, Kasturi Lal Chopra, held the second highest rank in the army, subedar.
The couple got married within ten days of getting their parents' blessing. They had two children, Priyanka, born on July 18, 1982, and a son, Siddharth, nearly seven years later. The doctors were happily married for 32 years until Ashok's untimely death on June 10, 2013.
Priyanka stayed with her maternal grandparents in her youth while Dr. Ashok and Dr. Madhu completed their post-graduate studies and established their careers. She saw her parents almost every weekend and holiday. "I was always surrounded by family, always loved," Priyanka writes.
Madhu Chopra Is Managing Director at Studio Aesthetique
With four decades in the medical profession, Dr. Madhu is the director of Purple Prive Resort and managing director of Studio Aesthetique Health. She holds accreditations for various techniques in medical aesthetics from institutions from around the world.
Priyanka Chopra is grateful for the autonomy her parents gave her growing up.
Between 2016 and 2019, the multihyphenate produced and co-produced six films, including the award-winning film "Ventilator" and "Pahuna: The Little Visitors."
Priyanka Chopra (R) and her mother Madhu Chopra (L) attend the Indian Sports Honours annual ceremony in Mumbai. | Source: Getty Images
Madhu Chopra Is a Role Model for Her Daughter
Dr. Madhu has always been her daughter's role model and "inspiration." The medical doctor showed Priyanka that she could be "everything and anything" she wanted to be. The "Citadel" actress penned in her memoir that her mom is the woman she aspires to be.
Chatting to Howard Stern in May 2023, she shared her parent's interesting parenting philosophy, "You gotta let your kids do dangerous things, carefully."
This is how Priyanka did her first professional photo shoot at 16. Her parents agreed as long as Dr. Madhu supervised. Her parents secretly submitted the photos to Miss India, which put her on the path to being crowned Miss World 2000.
Priyanka Chopra is grateful for the autonomy her parents gave her growing up, telling British Vogue that her childhood was "atypical" for an Indian family. During the interview, published in February 2020, Dr. Madhu stayed with her daughter and son-in-law Nick Jonas to assist with childcare.
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