“Formidable woman,” a character on The Bluff says, describing Ercell ‘Bloody Mary’ Bodden. At the helm of things in Prime Video’s latest swashbuckler action thriller, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas has quite the task at hand.
As a former pirate who has to contend with her past when a gang of ruthless, bloodthirsty buccaneers invade her island, Priyanka’s Ercell wields a sword and a gun with equal ease, takes down the bad guys with precision, and is seemingly well-prepared for whatever bloody confrontations await, including a big one with Captain Connor (Karl Urban).
When the film’s first trailer dropped, fan comments could not help but draw Priyanka and Karl’s star characters from their respective shows, Quantico and The Boys. “The Butcher is hunting down Alex Parrish,” a cheeky comment read.
Cast member and producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas attends the world premiere of the film ‘The Bluff’ in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 17, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
MARIO ANZUONI
The Bluff, which Priyanka has co-produced alongside the Russo Brothers, was shot over two-and-a-half months in Australia following many weeks of training, the star reveals. “It was definitely a very physically demanding role. It required a lot of agility from me, and because it was a dramatic performance, you also needed my face in the camera because the story was still going forward,” she says.
Filming the extensive stunts, Priyanka says, involved a lot of focus and work. “You can get injured very easily. For instance, the house we shot in was very small. There was furniture, cameras, and a crew. There were a lot of bruises and splinters, but there was nothing serious, thank god,” she smiles.
In the film, Priyanka flees the buccaneers with her family in tow: her sister-in-law and her young son. During an initial ambush in the film, the actor, whose clothes are soaked through with blood and who is wielding a gun, instantly snaps from fierce to comforting as she reassures her horrified son. “I’m glad you caught that,” she says. “I might be fighting people, but I’m still talking to my son. I might be fighting people, but I’m still thinking of where the next person is. It wasn’t just about slow-motion action sequences; it was real. This required a lot more as an actor from me and of course, I love the challenge of that,” she says.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas stars as ‘Ercell’ in The Bluff.
| Photo Credit:
Photo Credit: Paul Abell
This is particularly significant for the actor, given how she was filming The Bluff as a new mother. Her daughter, Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, was around two when they were shooting for the film. “The Bluff was physically tough, yes. But what really moved me was the thought of how far a woman or a parent will go to protect their child. I was a new mother at that time, and I knew that feeling very well. So I really applied it to the movie,” she says.
With her last few releases being the Prime Video film Heads of State opposite Idris Elba and John Cena, the romantic comedy Love Again and the spy thriller show Citadel, the actor has been enjoying a notably action-packed run.
“I was in fact shooting for Heads of State till two weeks before I started filming The Bluff. I had the same stunt coach on both films, Anisha Gibbs, and whenever we would have a break while filming Heads Of State, we would practise with our swords,” she reveals.
Priyanka made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan, opposite actor Vijay and in the 24 years since, has racked up every genre you can possibly think of in her extensive filmography. She played the villain with ease in Aitraaz, was a part of the Krrish superhero franchise, has dabbled in science fiction, played multiple characters in a single film, and continues to shine in character-backed roles across the spectrum — be it as Kashibai in the period-film Bajirao Mastani or as the rich and savvy girlboss Aysha in Dil Dhadakne Do.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban in ‘The Bluff’
| Photo Credit:
Paul Abell
Her upcoming project Varanasi, SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus, where she stars alongside Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran, is touted as an epic action-adventure, a film Priyanka described on the red-carpet premiere of The Bluff as ‘career-defining’. As fans celebrate 20 years of the Krrish franchise, and older hits like “Saajan Saajan Saajan” from her film Barsaat trend on Instagram, we ask how her approach to the craft has evolved in bringing these diverse women to life on screen.
“Everything has evolved except one thing, which is really delving into your character’s truths and why they are doing what they are doing in a movie. Not what I look like, not the clothes I’m wearing, but the choices that my character is making. So, why would they wear these shoes, or why would they have this hair, or why would they have this weapon? What do they need it for? Where do they come from?” she says.
Safia Oakley-Green, left, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Vedanten Naidoo in ‘The Bluff’
| Photo Credit:
Amazon Content Service
In The Bluff, Priyanka says that she loves how she is fighting to protect her family, and the reason she can survive is because of her family. “She has escaped the worst life to be able to have a simple life, and this simple life is what gives her so much. There is just such beauty in what we all are looking for, to find our ‘do gaj zameen’ and what belongs to us,” she says, emphasising how she loves this depth that the story holds.
The film also marks a milestone for Priyanka, who dons several hats, including those of an entrepreneur and a producer. While she has produced several films through her banner Purple Pebble Pictures, the star shared photos from the red carpet premiere of The Bluff on Thursday and said that this was the first film that she has produced and led from the US.
“While I have produced films before, this time, I was involved from the very beginning and was actually treated as a collaborator. Whether it’s Prime Video, the Russos or even Frank E Flowers, the director, none of them needed to have included me from the first edit to the last. But they really brought me in, and into every department and through all the choices that were being made,” she said.
This, Priyanka says, ensured she felt invested in every aspect of the film and made sure that everyone was taken care of. “All of that is very interesting to me. I love the art, business and history of entertainment. I am glad to be able to do this, as an actor and a producer,” she says.
The Bluff streams on Prime Video from February 25
Published – February 19, 2026 08:23 pm IST