Priyanka Chopra has often talked about spending much of her childhood away from her parents in Bareilly. Recently, her mother, Madhu Chopra, opened up about a decision she still regrets, sending Priyanka to boarding school when she was just seven years old.
In an interview with Pinkvilla, Madhu shared that while she doesn’t regret most of her parenting decisions, this one still troubles her. Priyanka was sent to La Martiniere Girls’ School in Lucknow without being mentally prepared for it. “I traumatised a small child. I didn’t tell her what to expect. She took the admission test, did well, and I just left her there. It was heartbreaking for both of us,” Madhu recalled.
Coming from an army background, her father, Ashok Chopra, was a Lieutenant Colonel, and her mother was an Army doctor, Priyanka was raised with both love and discipline. However, Madhu felt that Priyanka was becoming a little too pampered at home. She recalled an incident where Priyanka, while playing with her doll, told her father, “Can’t you see I’m busy?” Madhu realized that her daughter was picking up on her own behavior and worried she was getting spoiled. That’s when they decided to send her to boarding school.
Looking back, Madhu believes Priyanka must have felt abandoned. “Only she knows what she went through. She was used to so much love, and then suddenly she was alone. But she did well,” she said. Despite this, she never asked Priyanka how she felt about it. “I have no idea. I never asked her. But I know she missed us and hated being away from her parents.”
Later, Priyanka moved to the US to study and then entered the Miss India pageant, which led to her successful career in Bollywood and Hollywood. While Madhu still feels guilty about her decision, she acknowledges that Priyanka’s upbringing shaped her into the strong person she is today.
