Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has joined Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich’s upcoming documentary Born Hungry as a producer, she said in a social media post on Wednesday, sharing a screenshot of a news article published by a US-based entertainment portal.
“Aligning with stories and filmmakers that have the ability to move the audience by having a unique point of view is what we always look for at @purplepebblepictures,” wrote Priyanka, adding, “@barryavrich22’s new feature documentary, Born Hungry is exactly that. I was so moved by Sash’s incredible story of resilience and determination, and also that it is an amazing rendition of an extremely sensitive story, it was a no-brainer for us to collaborate. We cannot wait to share this story with you.”
The actress will be producing the upcoming documentary under the banner of her company Purple Pebble Pictures, which she launched in 2015. The Mumbai-headquartered production company has backed various films including Ventilator (2016), Paani (2019) and The Sky Is Pink (2019). Priyanka also served as the executive producer of the Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger (2024).
Born Hungry is based on the real-life story of Sash Simpson, a celebrity chef who battled severe poverty before being adopted by a Canadian couple.
Separated from his family on a train journey, lost, and thousands of miles away from home, the young boy found himself struggling for survival on the streets of Chennai. He often ate out of garbage bins to satisfy his hunger. However, things changed when he was adopted by a family in Canada. Years later, Sash returns to India, armed with shards of memory, to find his long-lost family.
According to IMDb, Sash Simpson will star in his own biopic. Shipra Khanna, Mark McEwan and Thomas Zacharias have also joined the cast of the upcoming documentary.
Priyanka is currently working on Ilya Naishuller’s action comedy Heads of State alongside Idris Elba and John Cena. She will also star in the second season of the American spy action series Citadel. In the show, Priyanka shares screen space with Richard Madden, Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville.
