Birthday Special: 10 Lesser Known Facts About Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra, who we recently spotted in an improved, swimsuit-clad version of herself in her latest single Exotic, turns 31 today, July 18.

For a celebrity with a closely-watched career spanning a little over a decade and a wide fanbase, Priyanka's life story has been recounted many times.

But then again, you can never know enough about your favourite star.

Here then, is a list of 10 things you may not have known about the birthday girl.

Adopted hometown

The actress, who was born in Jamshedpur in Bihar (now a part of Jharkhand) considers Bareilly her hometown because of strong connections with the city.

She moved around quite a lot during her childhood and has lived in Delhi, Pune, Leh and Lucknow, among other places.

The actress moved to the US at 13 to live with her aunt.

Attending schools in Massachusettes and Iowa, Priyanka actively participated in theatre productions and learnt western classical music and Kathak.

While addressing a young crowd at a conclave last year, Priyanka admitted to being bullied in her Boston school for her skin colour.

She also described herself as a gawky, imperfect teenager who had low self esteem but all that changed after her momentous Miss World win.

Before the glitzy world of showbiz happened, Priyanka had other plans for her career.

The self-proclaimed tomboy aspired to become an engineer or a criminal psychologist.

Fate had other plans for the Agneepath actress.

She had just enrolled in Mumbai's Jai Hind college when Miss World happened. When film offers started pouring in, Priyanka left college to pursue a career as an actress.

While Raj Kanwar's Andaz remains to be her breakthrough role, Priyanka's debut was opposite Sunny Deol in Hero: Love Story Of A Spy.

However, few know that she was initially expected to make her Bollywood debut with Abbas Mustan's Humraaz, which later went to Ameesha Patel.

Priyanka's tattoo that she got recently reads 'Daddy's Little Girl.'

The tattoo is in her late father, Dr Ashok Chopra 's handwriting.

Dr Chopra passed away recently after a prolonged battle with cancer.

While her filmography includes standout performances in Saat Khoon Maaf, Fashion, Agneepath and Barfi!, she considers Abbas-Mustan's 2004 thriller Aitraaz as one of her biggest learning experiences.

As the conniving gold digger Sonia Roy in her career's first negative role, Priyanka's performance was widely feted and got her many awards.

This Ashutosh Gowariker film may have tanked at the box office but it earned Priyanka the rare distinction of playing 12 characters in a movie.

She was even considered for inclusion in the Guinness World Records book for being the first film actress to do so.

The actress, a certified fashionista in her own right, is known for her youthful ardrobe that is dominated by short dresses and an amazing collection of designer shoes.

But the one brand that Priyanka admits to swear by is Dolce & Gabbana and has been repeatedly spotted in the brand recently.