Love Overcomes Everything: Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra believes that two people should not be together for the sake of others if there’s no love

Priyanka Chopra is flying high (Photo: Yogen Shah)

After Mary Kom’s success, an international TV series and having added singing as a new dimension to her career Priyanka Chopra is on a high and why not! There’s everything going for her and the new short crop adds just the right amount of zing to her chirpy aura. We got talking to Priyanka about her new film Dil Dhadakne Do.

Priyanka flaunting her short red coloured crop and a very chic summery dress (Photo: Yogen Shah)

Q: As a person, would you compromise in a relationship, like your character does in the film?
Priyanka Chopra: The dynamics in the trailer of Dil Dhadakne Do (DDD) is that I don’t love my husband and that’s not reason enough for my parents to leave him. So, that can’t be changed and I can’t suddenly fall in love with him. If I get married, whenever I do, I am not of the belief that you break up because of one fight. As long as there is love you can overcome anything. If that is only not there then no point compromising. I am not somebody who believes that two people should be together just because what will people say, what will society say, what will children say, what will in-laws say. Life is too short, people need to be happy, you need to be happy where you are.

Q: Farhan plays your best friend and you both have romantic feelings for each other. Did you ever face a similar situation in the past?
PC: My best friends have always been girls. I have never had a guy best friend because that dynamic changes with me every time. I have had a lot of guy friends who ended up liking me or falling in love with me. And when you can’t reciprocate, you lose a friendship, which doesn’t have to always happen.

Priyanka Chopra in a still from Dil Dhadakne Do

Q: Is the character Ayesha in DDD close to you in real life?
PC: I started shooting DDD ten days after completing Mary Kom. You will see me wearing clothes with sleeves because I had bulked up for Mary Kom. I had to go on crash diet to lose my bulk because Ayesha is very gentle, feminine, soft, completely opposite of the fighter, tomboyish boxer in Mary Kom. I have always played these really strong characters whereas in real life I am very feminine so I never get to play my real self because of the roles I choose. So I just fell into Ayesha, I just became her.

Priyanka Chopra dancing with Farhan Akhtar in a still from Dil Dhadakne Do

Q: You have worked with Farhan as a director when you acted in his films, it must have been easy to play his friend?
PC: When Zoya told me that Farhan is playing Sunny, I said I can’t do it. Because I was so intimidated by him as the director. You know he has been an authority figure and he is a very serious director. He is completely the opposite of Zoya. They both know exactly what they want, are extremely talented, very sorted but as people very different. I have worked with him as a director on two very long films for three months each. I remember every time I had to approach Farhan for a scene or something I would always check his mood, if he has eaten – he likes his food, or I would tell Shah Rukh or Boman sir. I would talk to him via people. So I told Zoya I don’t think I can have this best friends relationship with him even though we have known each other for a long time. So she started laughing. She called Farhan, we ordered lots of food, joked and laughed a lot. That’s how we broke the ice.

Q: Why is your debut production Madamji stuck?
PC: I am spread so thin right now. Madhur is doing Calender Girls and I am promoting DDD, then starting Gangaajal 2 next month. The in July going to the US for Quantico and then I am back for Bajirao Mastani. Between all that as Purple Pebble Pictures, I am developing a couple small interesting ideas. But we are in the development phase. We are doing a lot of commericals and stuff like that but I want to be very sure of what I do.

Q: Lastly, an interesting female centric role in Gangaajal 2 after Mary Kom. How does it feel to be in Ajay Devgn’s shoes?

Priyanka as a cop in Prakash Jha’s forthcoming film Gangaajal 2

PC: Gangaajal to me is a very special film not just because of the role. I love Prakash Jha’s work. What you saw of Ajay’s role in the first part, is pretty much what I am doing, except that the subject has changed. It’s a topic not many people like to talk about which is why I am very excited about it. It talks about corruption, land mafia, farmer suicides and how people are led to kill themselves. I play a woman cop in that backdrop which is ridden with corruption.