The swashbuckling performance of pirate movie The Bluff on Prime Video took its producer and star, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, by surprise.
During a fireside chat today at Cannes Lions, the actor, producer and entrepreneur spoke about the Frank E. Flowers-directed and Russo brothers-produced pic’s success on Prime Video, topping the streamer’s global movie charts in dozens of countries on release in late February.
“I was really shocked at how many countries it was number one in because first of all it was a female story about female pirates that most people didn’t know existed,” Chopra Jonas told an audience during the talk with People Inc.’s Leah Wyar on culture, originality and ‘borderless expression.’
“When I first got the script, I did a deep dive into these women, and I was so amazed by such incredible stories of bravery,” she added.
The movie follows Chopra Jonas as Ercell “Bloody Mary” Bodden, who believes she has escaped her violent past as a pirate, living with her family in the Cayman Islands until her former captain, Connor (Keith Urban), arrives seeking revenge.
“It is an action movie and a story, but more than everything [else], there are so many people who learned about what happened during that time with piracy and pirate culture, indenture and servitude from colonization, which was a big part of India’s history where people were taken with the promise of better jobs and dropped into different parts of the world,” said Chopra Jones, who had another Prime Video hit with last year’s Head of State.
“So many people I met along the way have no idea what happened for generations before them. That was something I loved about it, and as a producer I just didn’t expect that to resonate so much.”
Chopra produced the movie alongside the Russos’ AGBO, Cinestar Pictures and Big Indie Pictures through her Purple Pebble label. During her appearance at ad fest Cannes Lions in France, the Citadel star addressed how she selected projects to produce.
“Nobody goes into a movie hoping for it to fail,” she said. “The stakes are so high with a lot of time and money involved, and everyone wants it to be successful. You have to follow your gut. I try not to follow trends because that is really hard: A trend that’s interesting this week might not be next week. It takes a year for a movie to be made, and by the time it comes around, will audiences still be interested?
“I try to think about how it makes me feel. My favorite movies are the ones that you talk about, revisit again and have something to say about.”
“Ambitious” Rajamouli movie
One of Chopra Jones’ upcoming projects is S.S. Rajamouli‘s Telugu-language movie Varanasi in which she is starring next to Mahesh Babu – news of which we brought you first last year. She said it would be “a really ambitious movie” and noted it would release in April 2027, as she praised Rajamouli.
“He has complete and utter control on set,” she added of the RRR and Baahubali: The Beginning director. “You just come as an actor in with the weight of your character, which is also really freeing as you’re not thinking about the things you would as a producer.”
Chopra Jonas also talked about how she has produced and starred in films in multiple languages in Indian cinema partly to give opportunities to filmmakers with little access to the “grand stage” of the mainstream through Purple Pebble.
“When I came into the film industry, I didn’t know anyone, as my parents were doctors, so new people coming into film and TV were my sweet spot,” she said. “As a production house, we can be the shoulders for entertainers and creators to jump on because I know myself how hard it is.”
When she began working in Hollywood, Chopra Jonas found studios putting her in certain types of roles, which spurred her on to produce. “There has been a glass ceiling set for most women, and you just have to do it yourself,” she recalled of advice given to her by other women in the industry.
Last month, we revealed Chopra Jonas would star opposite Orlando Bloom in Reset, a survival thriller directed by Matt Smukler (Wildflower) that will head into production in August with Purple Pebble Pictures among the producers attached.
“Orlando Bloom and I have known each other for many years and wanted to work together, so when this project by I was rooting for him,” she said.
Cannes Lions runs between June 22-26. The likes of Oprah Winfrey, Eddy Cue and Jerry Bruckheimer have already spoken at the giant ad fest.