What happens when Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Devi Vishakumar, Kate Sharma, and Mindy walk into a (hair) bar?

If you scroll through Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ social media game for a few minutes (okay, we’ve done that for hours), you can see her vibing high with the Indian diaspora in America. A country she has moved to for the past seven years to be with husband Nick Jonas, Diana Chopra Jonas and to venture further into Hollywood. While February 2023 will see her share screen time with Sam Heughan for the rom-com It's All Coming Back to Me, her last two films have proven that no matter what the length of her role, or her character arc in a film, she is a scene stealer. In The Matrix Resurrections, starring alongside Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, she made a lasting impression that sat well with both critics and fans. In The White Tiger, she held her own next to equally accomplished actors such as Rajkummar Rao. Undoubtedly, PeeCee remains a gift that keeps giving. 

A girls' girl, in her downtime, you will find her cheering everyone from Mindy Kaling, Lilly Singh to Meena Harris, the India connect making us all incredibly proud back home. 

Last year, after a successful launch of PeeCee's haircare line in the USA, Anomaly finally makes its way to the Indian market and is available on Nykaa. Made from 100% recyclable plastic packaging, the product is chemical-free, vegan, and cruelty-free. So, it was only natural that we would want to know more about it, but with a quintessential twist–asking her questions we felt these Indian-American characters would ask her, if they had the chance.  

If I were Nalini Vishwakumar (Never Have I Ever)

via GIPHY

Nalini Vishwakumar: While growing up in India, what are some of the hair care rituals you followed and still do today? Devi is such a bundle to handle but she is a good kid, so I am always keen on her to shine from the inside out, just like you.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas: In one word–oiling. While I used to hate it when my grandmother would sit me down, oil my hair, and make really tight braids, I do that even today. A good massage and wash is always so refreshing! Earlier, I would also switch between using almond or coconut oil, depending on what my scalp needed. If it’s feeling too dry or too oily, I change the oil I am using. Nowadays, I just end up using an oil that combines almond with rosehip. A good scalp oil and conditioner are my go-to, which mattered when I was designing the bottles–they had to easily fit into my bag and go wherever I went. Unlike expensive treatments, I wanted to make the best product in the world that was affordable. That led me to sit with some of the most amazing make-up and hair artists from around the world, who’ve used the most expensive products on me and come out with a range that was for everyone. It’s my way of democratising beauty.

If I were Devi Vishwakumar (Never Have I Ever)

Devi Vishwakumar: What’s the lazy-girl routine for beautiful hair? Especially if you are the get-up-and-get-going kinda girl who wants to look good, even if she is having a tough time? With school and everything else going on, it’s pretty hectic. Deets please!

PCJ: It has to be my dry shampoo. I turn to it when I don’t have the time to wash my hair. You know I usually like to oil and condition it but that’s a production in itself. When I want to extend a good blow-dry, I end up air-drying my hair and use a leave-in conditioner. Sometimes, I'll braid my hair so that I get a natural wave. Since I don't like using too much heat in my hair which can be damaging, I will just style my bangs differently. No matter what, at the end of the day it’s all about making the most of what you have, which is why when I want to extend the life and bounce in my hair, I use a dry shampoo. 

If I were Ellaria Sand (Game of Thrones)

Ellaria Sand: What does a good hair day mean for you, especially taming that frizz?

PCJ: Easily. Natural, hydrated, nourished, lustrous hair is a good hair day for me. When I don’t have that, I aim for it by following a proper hair care routine when I can make time for it. 

If I were Kate Sharma (Bridgerton)

Kate Sharma: You and your brand have a voice that makes a statement–it’s grounded and totally relatable, which also resonates with my Victorian sensibilities at times. Was it paying homage to your roots that made you want to tap into the Indian market, knowing well, how unique Indian hair type is? 

PCJ: For me, while growing up, I didn’t use any hot tools or know that you could blow dry and tong your hair every day. The concept was so alien to me as a young girl. Most people have stuck to the basics like me–which had always been shampooing and conditioning my hair. So, it’s always been about making the foundation of my hair so strong that you can do anything you want with it. Oiling and taking care of our scalp is a very Indian thought process. All of Anomaly therefore is rooted in Indian tradition and ethos. It was only a matter of time that it came to India. Hair types and styles can vary, our texture can be different, but it pretty much boils down to the basics–hydration and nourishment can turn things around. With my brand, we are giving our hair what it needs to stay strong and healthy. Who doesn’t want kaale, lambe, ghane baal? We grew up hearing that in India all the time. This is a very exciting time for me, because like the world, the Indian customer has changed so much over the years. Right now, someone sitting in a small town can access international beauty products from around the world, which wasn’t possible before. Turn to social media to see how evolving for the better has become the norm with people becoming increasingly mindful of what they are putting on and inside their body. If you turn around your shampoo bottle you will be taken aback to see the million chemicals in there, so I needed to put out something that was different from what was available in the market.

If I were Raj Koothrappali (The Big Bang Theory)

Raj Koothrappali: Let’s talk identity (although with Sheldon around it’s easy to bypass the whole crisis bit around it). There is an obvious India connection, but the hair care range doesn’t have a typical Indian name. How did you zero in on Anomaly? 

PCJ: In everything that I have done in my career, I have very organic options and thoughts about why my brands are called what they are. The reason why we chose Anomaly is because it is an anomaly in its category. If you think about hair care as a category, you don’t get the trifecta that we are providing. Which is superior formulas, affordable prices, and a clean and an environmentally-conscious product–the hair care aisle was easily missing that. We human beings are a unique bunch. No two people are alike, which also became the reason why I opted for this name. At its core it is entrenched in Indian philosophy–no one can take that away from the brand. 

If I were Mindy Lahiri (The Mindy Project)

Mindy Lahiri: I have an obsessive personality when it comes to work, food, ahem… almost everything. Self-love comes and goes in varying degrees, since I always stood out thanks to my Indian origins and our cultural quirks. It’s taken me a while to accept myself, but I must ask you, what does the concept of Indian beauty mean to you? 

PCJ: India and beauty have been synonymous for aeons, right? We’re such an ancient civilization. We have solah shringar and all that jazz. When it comes to Indian beauty, if you think about it, we have grown up being privy to homegrown skincare and hair-care hacks that have passed down since generations, which the west is adopting only now. All the good stuff that goes in making a great beauty product comes largely from India’s natural reserve of plants and herbs. That’s what Indian beauty means to me–natural beauty.  We took natural products from around the world, that are known to be good for your hair and infused them into our products. All natural and good for you, just like it should be!

Feature Image: anomalyhaircare / Instagram