We seldom find Hindi film heroines breaking away from the set culture to look for a new role when they are at their peak. Last year Priyanka Chopra surprised everyone when she declared she is no longer a closet singer and has aspirations to become a global pop icon. Considering we have no Indian in this slot, it seemed an interesting idea. But after two songs and plenty of media frenzy, Priyanka is only crawling on the international music charts.
In Delhi to promote NDTV’s Our Girls Our Pride intiative, Priyanka says she had no set agenda. “I was not planning to be a musician or a singer. This is an idea that Universal Music Group came up with three years ago. I got excited about it because music was my dad’s dream. He always wanted me to sing and I loved singing though I never did it professionally. If I do something I like to give it my best. So that’s all I hope.”
Couldn’t she have easily tried playback singing? “It wasn’t planned at all,” she insists. “I didn’t do it all this time because I was busy establishing myself as an actor. I think I reached a point where I could expand a little bit. It didn’t have anything to do with me wanting to foray into something different. Sometimes in your life you reach a point where you feel you are good with what you are professionally and want to grow in a slightly different direction. Universal offered me to do an international album. I have learnt Western classical. So it seemed an interesting idea to have someone from India on a global platform. That was their plan. I haven’t seen any person from India to foray into popular music internationally in a big way. They were excited about the prospects. I felt if I can, I should try.”
A section of the media is trying to portray her as the next Jennifer Lopez and the video does generate that kind of image. “I don’t want to be next anybody. I am very happy to be Priyanka. I have no plan to be like anyone. I have never been like anyone. I have always been my own person and that’s what I want to be,” she asserts.
Her songs “In My City”(featuring Will.i.am) and the just released “Exotic” (featuring Pitbull) have been trending in India but on the U.S. music charts the response has been rather low key. “I don’t think many people here understand how music works internationally,” she counters. “It is not like movies, that you have a Friday release and by Monday you know the performance. It takes months, unless of course if you are an established artist. First you put it on iTunes, then it plays in nightclubs for a couple of months, and after that it starts getting picked up on radio. The entire process takes around six months and then it starts charting. Right now ‘Exotic’ is only a month old. For that we are doing well because we are already on radio. We are already in night clubs and we are on the charts as well. For a new artist, I am pretty happy with the progress of ‘Exotic’.”
For a young girl who considers Priyanka as a role model, the video gives an impression that it is more about glamour than vocal talent. “I have always been glamorous and I believe in being glamorous. I am a Hindi film heroine and I should not shy away from it nor should anybody. I am very proud of my vocals but everybody has the right to his opinion. And hopefully, I will change people’s mind over time,” she avers.
It is a busy year for Priyanka, as she will be seen in Zanjeer and Krissh 3, and is preparing to play Mary Kom. She terms the part as her “hardest” till date. “It is a completely new territory. Mary is helping me out.” In boxing? “No, she is not coaching me. A lot of people who have been associated with her are coaching me.” The idea, Priyanka says, is to strike a balance between glamorous and meaningful films. “I have always done that. “I have done all kinds of outlandish films,” she is candid about her past. “When I do a ‘Don’, ‘Krissh’ and ‘Agneepath’, I also pick up ‘Fashion’, ‘Barfi!’ and ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’.”
This week we will hear her voice as Ishani in Disney’s animation film, “Planes”. “Every girl wants to become a Disney character at some age. I wanted to be Tinkerbell when I was young. I am used to dubbing in films. So voiceover was not difficult. Ishani is Indian, so there was no need for an exotic accent. I have kept it the way I speak, no exaggeration to make it sound Indian to the world audience. I was very clear that I won’t do something like that because modern India is comfortable with English.”
With all her flair to be different, does she still need to hide between male stars in superhero films for box office numbers? “No girl is so lucky in our film industry. I don’t think I can say that I want to play Catwoman and producers will line up to fulfil my wish. Not really.” But then Mary Kom could well be her answer to play a superwoman? “Let’s be realistic, it is a male dominated society. We play different roles and yes I agree both Krissh and Zanjeer are boy-driven films but I really enjoyed playing my parts. And if that is the case we should ask why leading actresses of Hollywood films are keen to be part of superhero films.”
But then dancing to “Babli Badmash” is a little too outlandish. Isn’t it allowing yourself to be objectified? “Was ‘Dream Girl’ not objectification? Beauty is an important ingredient of womanhood. If appreciating beauty is objectification then it is sad. There is a very fine line which has got blurred now. And there is a CBFC to look into who should watch what. I think as a society we are lacking in tolerance. Who are we to judge people?” she asks. But the point is she was not even the heroine of the film. “I did it for a friend. I should not be judged for it. You can judge art. You can say it was a bad song. If you want to judge me, judge me from what I do in real life.”
Time to be shown the door, and Priyanka parts with a warm hand shake!
Lip service?
Priyanka says she has been associated with the cause of the girl child for many years now. “Besides NDTV’s initiative, I am a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF, I have been associated with UN’s Girl Up campaign and then my own foundation is coming up. When celebrities get associated with a cause, people remark that it is lip service; when we don’t, people say we don’t have a heart. It is a Catch-22 situation. Also, if you take the media along when you are on the ground, you are charged with using it as a photo opportunity for publicity. I don’t make a lot of noise about what I do as a responsible citizen. I do it because people might not do what I advocate but my presence as a public person guarantees that they will at least hear me. I am deeply associated with the initiatives I support. I keep a check on the results of the work we have done, have been to the development centres that are created.”
Coming from a small town, Priyanka says she understands the situation of girls in Indian society. “My mother is a gynaecologist. She has told me several stories. The point is, despite economic progress the outlook hasn’t changed towards girls. Girls are considered second to boys. We are from a country where girls are respected as goddesses. We have to train our boys to respect women.”
But Hindi cinema, where she works, still slots female character as either an idol or a vamp. “Things are changing. The film industry makes films for entertainment. They are not made to change society. If a director wants to give a message then it is great, but if he doesn’t even then it is okay. I am an actor. I can play whatever I want. If you want me to play only those kind of roles where I set an example then I should not work in the film industry.”
