Sunshine girl

If I had known my destiny, I'd have studied cinema instead of economics, says Parineeti Chopra

May 22, 2012 04:25 pm | Updated June 14, 2012 04:36 pm IST

Parineeti Chopra

Parineeti Chopra

Parineeti Chopra is two films young and unaffected by the ways of the industry. She doesn't give you clichéd, rehearsed answers and vouches to remain un‘starry'. “I get suggestions all the time on how I should talk to the media and what I should do in this industry. But I am so happy being myself that I don't want to change,” she says.

When she talks, the exuberance is believable. Basking in all the positive reviews to her performance in Habib Faisal's Ishaqzaade , Parineeti says, “I didn't expect this kind of response. Even for my first film ( Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl ), I was surprised with the way people reacted towards my work.” The surprise package of the film, she's now reaping the rewards, winning awards for best female debut and supporting actress.

But Ricky Bahl 's Dimple Chaddha and Ishaqzaade's Zoya are poles apart. Like Zoya, who comes from the fictional small town of Almora, Parineeti hails from Ambala. Her portrayal, she says, is a combination of her own small town sensibilities and the brief given to her by Habib Faisal. “I was able to understand Zoya's plight. But I am unlike Zoya in real life. Her character is Habib sir's creation and I followed his guidelines,” she says.

Arjun Kapoor was on board as Parma before she was signed on as Zoya. “You know what? I had to audition for the part. And there I was thinking I have already made my debut and audition ki kya zaroorat hai ? I went through several auditions followed by a four-month workshop. We had two assistants on the sets who taught us how to use different kinds of guns. On screen, it looks so easy. Trust me it took me a while to learn how to hold a gun, load it with bullets, take aim and fire. Now I can differentiate between different kinds of guns,” she explains at length. She obviously enjoyed the process. “Of course, bada mazaa aaya. And I learnt to ride bikes too,” she says in between giggles.

The full-of-spunk performer once wanted to be a banker. “I have triple honors in economics, business and finance from the Manchester Business School. It wasn't easy to get a job in the UK during recession. I came back and joined the marketing department of Yash Raj Films,” she says.

Despite having a famous cousin in the industry (Priyanka Chopra), she was an outsider to cinema. “I used to look down on acting. When I worked with YRF I understood how tough it is to act or to make a film. My respect for this industry grew,” she confesses.

While in the marketing department, she used to mimic anyone she came across. “It's in my genes. My dad is also good at it,” she says. Realising she was cut out for something better, she submitted her resignation only to get an acting offer from the same production house.

Looking back, she quips, “If I had known I'd become an actress, I wouldn't have studied economics. I would have studied cinema.”

We wonder if formal training would have robbed her off her natural flair for acting. “I talk to the director and understand what I am supposed to do. But I don't like to rehearse. If it doesn't look spontaneous on screen, what's the point?” she asks.

What's next? “Honestly, I don't know. There are plenty of offers. I have to do one more film with Yash Raj as part of my contract, but if I find something else exciting, I will take it up,” she signs off.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.