What if I have a baby this year?
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There are no half measures with Priyanka Chopra. She’s not the one to take time in making her decisions or calculating her words. With her, impulse and emotion are inseparable parts of the personality. She lives today like there is no tomorrow and yet she has the foresight to plan what she’ll do six months in advance. Her career isn’t just limited to Indian shores; she shuttles between Los Angeles and Mumbai like they’re neighbouring suburbs. Priyanka has broken new ground and cemented her space under the spotlight. But that’s not all. She believes she can do anything in the world. She believes she can love and live without limits. And when she does articulate, she indulges in a sense of romanticism as she peppers you with prose and poetry until you’re knocked out. Her indelible charm, wit and charisma only increases when she talks about matters of the heart. The bursts of laughter are as candid as her insights on love and life. Effortlessly, she cajoles you and like the characters she portrays, the memories tend to linger with you forever. Here’s a spirited girl, who’s conquered personal upheavals to attain professional glory. Here’s a woman ready to take on the world...
Is the new hair cut a sign of new beginnings?
(Laughs) You think it’s a sign of mid-life crisis? I’m always looking forward to bigger, better and positive things in life. As for the hair, for the first time in my professional life,
I didn’t have to maintain continuity for my characters. I had time off. So I decided to cut my hair. I guess that’s the reason why most girls in films end up cutting their hair. When they don’t have to play their characters for extended periods. I’m off to Los Angeles. I have two and half months between two schedules of Bajirao Mastani. I just wanted something different badly.
There’s news cropping up from the set of Bajirao Mastani every day. How’s the experience of working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali?
It’s been one of the most fun experiences of my life. Sanjay sir is magical as a director. Not just because he has amazing vision and he knows how to tell a story. I’ve worked with all kinds of directors. But there are very few filmmakers who are sensitive to the spaces in between the lines. I’m talking about the interpretation of silences. Or understanding the reactions of an actor or a character. There are few people who have that level of sensitivity that Sanjay sir brings to his films. It’s been an enriching experience working on Bajirao. Good scripts and bad scripts come and go but good directors are few and far between.
You recently stated that your role of Kashibai in Bajirao Mastani is your toughest one yet.
I keep saying that for every film. I’d said it for Barfi! I said it again for Mary Kom and now I’m saying it for Bajirao. Which is great because I’m always pushing myself. In every film, I try to do something that changes me completely or shakes me up. That’s probably a good sign. I don’t leave any space for complacency. Guess that’s what drives me. Coming back to Kashibai’s character, it’s just a sensitive and heartbreaking part. Heartbreaking is the word. I didn’t feel like talking to people after I had shot for some scenes. It’s as if I hate the world in those few moments. It’s an emotionally depleting role. That’s been the tough part. Plus you have the whole make-up and getting ready takes some four hours... I’m just not that type of a girl.
Like Kashibai, have you ever dealt with one-sided love?
Not when I have been in love with someone. It’s not like the other person hasn’t loved me back. I don’t make the first move. So that situation isn’t possible. I’m shy and reserved when it comes to boys. But yes, I have experienced one-sided love. The side where a friend has fallen in love with me. It’s happened a few times actually and I haven’t been able to reciprocate. Which is painful.
Is that an awkward situation to be in?
It’s not awkward; it’s painful because you don’t want to lose your friend. You don’t want that friendship to end but it happens for no fault of yours. It’s not even like you are leading someone on. It’s annoying, frustrating and I have lost a lot of friends like that. It’s upsetting and irritating because why should I have to pay when I did nothing wrong?
And how does one deal with such a conundrum?
You don’t. It’s awful. You have to be extremely sensitive about it. Because you’re dealing with someone you care about. I believe the best way to go is to have a straight and direct conversation. Talk about your feelings so everything is clear. And then it just boils down to dealing with them to the best of your ability.
Life in the film industry seems so dramatic. Has it helped you explore parts of your own personality?
I’ve been doing this since I was 17. I don’t know anything else. I don’t know any other industry. For me the transition was from school to showbiz. (Laughs) I guess I was a child artiste. Whatever I am today is clearly the influence of the work space I inhabit. It might also be because I have inhabited this space for such a long time. I have 16 hours a day, four films a year, two careers in two continents and businesses… it’s crazy stuff.
But here’s what I’d say to my cousins in the industry or to any other girl who has dreams of being a star, and I get this from my mother, you can only do this while you’re young. Later on in life you can chill but right now, while you have time on your side, do the most for securing your future. A set of skills will always keep you financially independent, no matter what those skills are. The industry helped me find my skill sets. It’s to be creative in any field that I choose to be in. Whether it’s acting, singing, writing, production... Creativity has no bounds. A creative person could be anything they desire. Suddenly, you could be a painter or you could be a poet. It allows you to explore so many things. I’ve started doing that in the past two to three years and it feels great.
You’re a pageant winner, a celebrated actor, a popular singer, a global fashion icon. Are there any professional pursuits left to conquer?
There are so many… you have no idea. I’ll do so many new things y’all will be left surprised. There are so many ways to be creative. I could choose to be a sound producer tomorrow. Who knows? For young people or people who are ambitious and who want to succeed, the world is your oyster. There are so many new vocations. You don’t just have to be a doctor or engineer or a lawyer. Your interests can become your job. That’s what I’m doing. Even within the film industry, acting isn’t the only lucrative job. Even those who can’t make it in acting can try other avenues like production, choreography, direction… there are so many opportunities. Acting is just 0.05 per cent of the entertainment world. Even today when I arrive on set, I come with fears and concerns, ‘Oh will I be any good today?’ I get nervous, my hands turn sweaty. That fear keeps the drive going.
What can we expect from your deal with ABC Television Studios?
What I’m going for right now is just a development phase. Basically, I get to hang out in LA and I get paid for it. (Laughs) In the process I also get to listen to great stories. They’re going to pitch different ideas to me. So it’s going to be about meeting the best writers, producers and directors in American TV right now. If I like anything, then I’ll have to shoot for the show, which will be in the second half of the year.
Is it going to be reality TV?
One thing I am sure about in this deal, which I have conveyed to them as well, is that I won’t do a reality show. It’s going to be fiction only.
It seems Indian actresses have left the otherwise dominant men of the industry far behind, especially in their conquests of the West.
I don’t know who else you’re talking about, but I definitely am out there. (Laughs) We are really in great form. We’re path breakers. I’ve always been like that. It’s good that the other girls are doing it as well. When I did Fashion people said women-oriented films won’t work, it’ll be the end. When I’d done Aitraaz they told me I’d be typecast as a vamp. With Barfi! they said I’d never be glamorous again. I’ve always been instinctive. When it comes to my work and art, other people’s opinions have never mattered. You’ve got be as blasé and strong as that especially, if you are a woman in today’s world.
Fashion, 7 Khoon Maaf and Mary Kom. You tend to excel when the responsibility of carrying the film rests on your shoulders...
I have big shoulders. They are tough and strong. Honestly I don’t see it like that. A film is a film. I enjoy the process of cinema so much. You won’t believe how excited
I am about what’s lined up for me in the next two years. I’m just grateful that people come to me with such great roles. I experiment with things. It’s okay if I were to go wrong sometimes. I’m like a child in a toy store when it comes to films. I’ve only picked up the craft of the profession in the last five to six years. Before that it was different. But when I learnt that I could tweak it and contribute to it, the medium of cinema just became so powerful.
But when you try out something new, do you have any inhibitions, the fear of the unknown?
I’ve never been afraid of the unknown. I’ve always been a little too curious. The reason I was sent to boarding school as a child was because I had a habit of saying no. Do you want to go to school? No! You shouldn’t go there! I will absolutely go there! I was such a brat! I like exploring unfamiliar territory. I like the ocean at night. I like weird things. I like the combination of ice cream and cola. If I’m told something can’t be done, I would want to do just that thing. I wanted to sky dive and bungee jump before I turned 21. Once I was an adult I’d be allowed to do it anyway, but I wanted to do it before.
Has the curiosity ever burnt you?
It’s burnt me so many times. But it’s a price you pay for being a rebel without a cause.
Are you excited about Dil Dhadakne Do?
It’s my first ensemble cast movie. To work with such an intimidating bunch of talented actors was an amazing experience. It’s the first time I’m working with a woman director, Zoya (Akhtar). She’s such a liberated mind. She’s free in her thinking. She’s not at all tied down by norms and her films convey that part of her voice. She makes statements in her films wrapped in entertainment.
What are your plans for Madamji with Madhur Bhandarkar? Is the film delayed?
Because the schedules for Bajirao got pushed into 2015, Madamji invariably got pushed further. It is my home production so I’ll be doing it for sure.
Years down the line, if a biopic is made on you, what would you expect from it?
I’d tell them wait another 20 years, I’ll give you so much more ammunition to play with. There are miles to go before I sleep. There’s so much more left to do. Creativity transforms into infinite possibilities. That’s the path I am working on.
Are you averse to the idea of slowing down or taking rest? Would you rather be on a creative charge all the time?
I could take a sabbatical or ease up when I have kids may be.
Are you thinking that far?
Why does that have to be far? What if I have a baby this year? You never know. (Laughs) I surprise myself. I don’t plan my life. I’m a nomad like that. You could call me a hippie child. My life is what I feel at that moment and at that particular time. Having said that I am also a control freak. I’m at a juncture in my career where fortunately I work out my own schedules. I do what I want and when I want. I never feel the need to get away from my work. It never feels like a laborious process I need to distance myself from. Working is a spiritual experience for me. I know these words seem rehearsed but they are the absolute truth.
In one of your recent blog posts you mentioned having four espresso shots? Is that a guilty pleasure or an addiction?
My guilty pleasure is my night time. I almost have like a ritual every night before going to bed. I need to unwind for almost an hour before I hit my bed. Sometimes that hour extends to three hours or four hours. That’s my ‘me’ time. But when that stretches out it cuts into my sleep and I can’t delay my call time for the next morning. That’s when the espresso shots come in. I’m not crazy for coffee. But espresso helps you out when you need it.
Is the ‘me’ time too hard to come by?
I’m never alone. I’m always surrounded by so many people. The only time I get for myself is in my bed. Otherwise, I’m constantly around other people. I get my next day’s schedule every night and every single hour of my day is accounted for.
Is there anything in the world that’s eluded you so far?
Nothing of consequence. I’m blessed. If I’ve really wanted something it has always found a way to come into my life. And if I don’t want it, it even finds a way out. Having said that, my dream home has eluded me for three years now. Haven’t found it yet.
So you trust life to sort itself out?
I trust my job. That’s the only thing I trust in my life. My work has stood by me like a rock. Whatever ups and down may have happened in my personal life, my career has never faltered. So many times people have told me, ‘Priyanka, it’s over’. I believe people should get over saying that. It’s never over. Life can be whatever you want it to be. That’s the beauty of it. That’s what I find inspiring. That’s where I draw my strength from. I’m not religious or spiritual like that. I don’t meditate; I fall asleep when I try to. But I do believe in karma. When you work for something that’s when you are closest to God.
Well all the credit goes to the Filmfare magazine
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