New Delhi: Priyanka Chopra is not new to dark roles, or what Bollywood loves to call its "characters with shades of grey".
Vishal Bhradwaj, who clearly is not a fan of the institution called divorce, had her romancing and eventually bumping off all seven of her husbands in well-thought-out ways in her coming-of-age film '7 Khoon Maaf'.
But credible make-up and a moderately compact script failed to mask what cine-goers suspected over years of following Chopra's career – that as a character actress Chopra has definitely refined her talent but as the female lead, monotony has set into her acting that even an explosive director like Bhardwaj has failed to shake off.
The scrawny girl from Chandigarh, pitted against some of the world’s best looking women at an international beauty pageant, has matured into a serious actor but whether she has truly come of age in an industry infamously cruel to repeat offenders at the Box Office, remains to be seen.
Her portrayal of Sonia Roy in Aitraaz in 2004 won her a Filmfare Best Villain Award and resuscitated a career which was in real danger of a washout following a series of duds after her sole 2003 hit Andaaz.
Even critics known for being stingy with their praise of newcomers lauded her looks if not her acting talent following steamy scenes in Aitraaz. Chopra followed up her negative act in Aitraaz with a series of non-performers in 2005.
In 2005, Blackmail, Karam and Yakeen bombed at the box office and the moderate hits of Waqt: The Race Against Time, Barsaat and Bluffmaster were face-savers for the actress who Bollywood A-leaguers were finally considering as competition.
However, in her subsequent years which gave her hits such as Don and Krrish, there is one question that still lurks in the minds of serious moviegoers. Her big tickets films have all had towering actors to cast a shadow on her performance.
Priyanka Chopra hasn't got Kajol's spontaneity, Juhi Chawla's comic timing or the naturalness of formidable character actors such as Konkona Sen Sharma.
What exactly is her strength? Her staying power has clearly outlived her successful performances and Bollywood does not forgive a non-performer for too long. Being a film industry outsider hasn't affected her career not has a series of duds since 2008.
Chopra has delivered one flop after another after the disastrous Love Story 2050 and God Tussi Great Ho. Neither science fiction nor fantasy was able to salvage a career caught in the Drona trap or 2009's What's Your Rashee? Her role in Fashion and Kaminey were appreciated by critics but faded in comparison to some of the stellar performances of her co-stars in those movies.
In Salaam-e-Ishq she was severely criticized for her acting, or lack of it, while 7 Khoon Maaf went down better with critics for the sheer enormity of a role that few actors would dare to take on.
What then is Chopra's staying power in Bollywood? Is she part of a well-oiled PR machine, moderately talented, willing to better herself, good looking or simply tenacious? Her balance sheet in the last seven years lacks any considerable hits that can be called her own.
Is Priyanka Chopra Bollywood's most over-rated actress?
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