Priyanka
Chopra, 30, is on the cusp of a new career as a singing star. The
feisty actress speaks to us about her early years, controversies and why
she will never undergo cosmetic surgery.
What are your memories of becoming Miss World? I
belonged to a family of academicians. I was a science student who
wanted to become an engineer. When I was announced as the Miss World, my
mother came on stage and hugged me. Then while hugging me, she
whispered, ‘Who is going to study now?’
What part do your parents play in your decision-making process? My
father is conservative but has always supported my decisions. He lets
me take my own decisions. His only condition while allowing me to come
to Mumbai was that my mother must accompany me. Even though my mother
was 40 years old at the time, and she was a flying gynaecologist in
Bareilly, she put aside her career, and came to live with me at a paying
guest accommodation to help me chase my dreams.
Were there things that upset you about being part of the industry? I
came without backing. So, in the beginning, I got thrown out of three
films even after signing them because some actresses were recommended
and had to be accommodated. That really upset me. I was told to my face
that I was being thrown out because so-and-so person had to be taken. It
taught me the value of hard work and I have earned my place here
through that. I never say no even if I am told to do something at
sub-zero temperature.
Initially, I used to be very outgoing and
friendly, but that made people link me up with anybody and everybody. So
instead, I have become a reserved and a private person.
The
third thing that upsets me is my failure. If my film does not do well,
it really hurts me. But by God’s grace, even if some of my films may not
have done well, people have still liked my work in it.
How important is it for you to be in the top position? For
me, being on top means the people I work with should feel the same way
and they should work with me again and again. Long ago, Mr Bachchan had
said in Filmfare that instead of looking at the value of a film, he
considered the value of his part even if it was just two lines or two
scenes. He said people must say, kya line boli hai! These words of his
have always stayed with me, I have always wanted to be the sum of more
than just my movies. I want to be a persona like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah
Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya. I imbibe from people I work with and I want to be like them.
Why are you so closed about your relationships? I
am a very private person. No one ever knows anything about me as I
don’t think it is necessary. I tell people as much as I want them to
know about me.
Your relationships have earned you many friends and enemies at the same time. I
am not a part of any camp and any friendship or relationship is
entirely on my account. The bad hurts me and me alone and the good comes
because of my amazing personality.
Do you see yourself married? My ambition when I was four years old was to be married.
What kind of man would he be? The
man I marry needs to be a chhavi of my dad. It doesn’t matter which
profession or place he belongs to, but he should be someone whom I
respect tremendously; he should be an achiever with family values and he
should have a sense of humour, be intelligent and should be the life of
the party.
How do you cope with your dad’s illness? It’s
tough but I don’t like to talk about it as my dad would not like me to
do so. It’s on my mind 24x7. I am my daddy’s little girl. He is my
superhero. You do the best you can and then leave it to God.
Have you ever had cosmetic surgery? So far, I have never felt the need for any enhancement surgery. What I have is what
I have been blessed with. People had a lot of issues about the fact
that I was dusky and not a conventional-looking actress. But I still got
the opportunities I did. Grooming is a very important part of any
girl’s life. In the early days, I did not even know how to apply makeup.
Over the years, with the help of various teams, I have worked on a
vision of me and there are things that I could change in the process.
This is true of most actresses. You learn to take care of yourself. I am
not against plastic surgery. If it helps build self-esteem, I don’t
think there is anything wrong with it. But if it becomes an obsession,
that can be a problem. For me, I got confidence from my films doing
well. Through this profession, I came to understand myself better. So,
it hurts when people judge or crucify me on imaginary counts. I have
looked different at different ages because I have worked on my look. I
love myself the way I am.
