Priyanka Chopra has been cast to play the female lead in Salman Khan’s next big film Bharat. The film is being directed by Ali Abbas Zafar who has delivered two massive hits with the Khan – Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. This will be Priyanka’s first big Bollywood project after a two year break.

“Bharat it is!  I’m looking forward to begin shooting this film and working with Salman and Ali again after a considerable time. I’ve learnt a lot from them in our previous collaborations and am excited to see what this one has to offer. I’m also looking forward to working with Alvira and Atul and the entire team of Bharat.To all my well-wishers who’ve been so patient and supportive… thank you for your constant support and I’ll see you all at the movies!”

“We have found the soul of Bharat in Priyanka Chopra. As the love story in Bharat is very mature and quite subtle, we needed an actor who could portray this in the best possible way. Her character is the soul of the film, and throughout, she stands shoulder to shoulder with Salman Khan in the journey. She is the catalyst at the film’s most important turning point.”

Apparently Zafar along with producer Atul Agnihotri flew down to New York to meet with Priyanka Chopra and to narrate the film to her. Priyanka love the script and agreed immediately to come on board the project. Salman and Priyanka last came together for God Tussi Great Ho in 2008. The makers are relying on Priyanka Chopra’s international stardom to take the film to a global level.

“Bharat is Priyanka’s homecoming to Bollywood after having proven her range as a performer in Hollywood films and a blockbuster global TV show. Bharat is rooted in India and its culture despite it spanning over 70 years and set across various countries of the world. Priyanka is the biggest Indian artist internationally and she is a perfect fit for the film. Priyanka brings in outstanding acting as well as incredible international appeal to make the scale of the film bigger and even more global,” says filmmaker Zafar.