While promoting her upcoming pirate action-drama, The Bluff, in a recent interview with HeyUGuys, Priyanka Chopra Jonas shared the funny and slightly embarrassing story of how she got her famous nickname: Piggy chops. During the conversation, which she was present for alongside co-star Karl Urban, Priyanka recalled how a former colleague gave her the name decades ago. The revelation was so unexpected that it left Urban in fits of laughter.
While Priyanka has been known by several titles throughout her career, including ‘PeeCee’ and the ‘Desi Girl,’ she admitted that ‘Piggy Chops’ has a particularly funny, if slightly “horrible,” backstory.
The “Horrible” truth behind Piggy Chops
The nickname dates back to 2005 on the sets of the Bollywood film Bluffmaster! Priyanka revealed that her co-star Abhishek Bachchan was the one responsible for christening her with the name. According to Priyanka, it wasn’t a glamorous title but rather a playful jab at her hearty appetite. She told Urban, “I have had many. In India, we have a culture of giving people nicknames as a way of showing love. And most people in North India have a nickname. So my name is Priyanka, it has nothing to do with what my nickname sounds like; it’s Mimi. I was also given this other name by a co-actor of mine many, many years ago; it’s a bad one. Piggy Chops. Because I ate like a pig. I know that’s horrible.””
Karl Urban found the name “outrageous,” joking that he would never be able to look at her again without thinking of the name. He said, “What? Piggy Chops? Oh my god, that’s outrageous. I don’t think I can ever look at you without thinking about Piggy Chops.”
Interestingly, the nickname wasn’t just a behind-the-scenes joke; it became part of pop culture history when Abhishek Bachchan included it in his rap for the Bluffmaster! song “Ek Main Aur Ek Tu Hai,” where he gave “props to Piggy Chops.” While she has previously mentioned that she grew a bit tired of the media using the name over the years, she recounted the memory with a laugh during her recent press tour.
From Mimi to Mitthoo: A tradition of nicknames
Apart from “Piggy Chops,” Priyanka also touched upon the broader cultural practice of nicknaming in India – specifically in North Indian families. She explained that it is very common for people to have a “pet name” (ghar ka naam) that sounds nothing like their official name. For Priyanka, that name is Mimi.
The story behind ‘Mimi’ is just as personal. As a child, her parents originally called her Mitthoo because she was a chatterbox who loved to mimic people. However, as she got older, she decided she didn’t like the name and asked to be called Mimi instead – a name her mother chose after the French actor Mimi Rogers.
Today, her family and cousins still exclusively call her Mimi Didi. These various monikers – from the family-oriented Mimi to the cheeky Piggy Chops – show the different phases of Priyanka’s journey from a young girl in India to a global superstar.