Showing posts with label Manushi Chhillar interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manushi Chhillar interview. Show all posts
Manushi Chhillar refutes dating Veer Pahariya: "No way; he is a good friend"
9:27 AM
Vinay MR Mishra (BOMBAY TIMES; March 8, 2025)
Beauty queen-turned-actress Manushi Chhillar strutted her catwalk for designer Tarun Tahliani. She donned a bridal look wearing a corset and a lehenga. “It wasn't your traditional bridal Indian wedding couture. It was so modern, so young, it was understated. It had the right balance of couture with comfort,” says Manushi. Fresh off the ramp, Manushi sits down for a chat with Bombay Times, talking about movies and her personal life.
'We don't have the luxury to fail a lot'
Manushi made her debut with the historical drama Samrat Prithviraj in 2022. In the following two years, she had two Hindi movie releases - The Great Indian Family (2023) and Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024). All three movies didn’t perform well at the box office.
Ask Manushi about her attachment towards her projects and failure, and she replies, “In life, we don't have the luxury to fail a lot, which is great because if you keep reminding yourself of that, you'll always put your best foot forward. Then I learned to have a certain amount of balance. You need to be attached enough to be able to give it your 100%. When you do a film, it's not about getting passing marks. It's about always giving your 100%. Sometimes, even if you give you 100%, it might not even translate on screen or it might not stitch in well together. It's important to understand that you're one person who's a part of this big process of making a film. So, you must be attached enough to do your best, but beyond that, you need to move on.”
‘How does it affect anyone's life as to what I'm doing in my personal life?’
While she is navigating through her professional life, she is also learning how to react to the keen attention towards her personal life. “I always grew up with a certain kind of attention. I was popular in school, in my area and etc. However, the kind of attention I got after Miss World was another level. While it comes from a lot of love, it did initially surprise me and to a certain extent also annoy me. I used to be like, ‘How does it affect anyone's life as to what I'm doing in my personal life?’ I remember this one incident which was a little too much, where my marksheet from college was on the internet. That was so unnecessary. So, I can set boundaries with what I reveal to the world. And I think certain things are meant to be kept to myself, so I just keep them to myself,” she explains.
'A lot of things written about my personal life have been completely false'
The 27-year-old further opens up about the speculations about her dating life. She reveals, “There's a certain interest people have as to what's going on in your personal life. I have guy and girl friends and I feel if I hang out too much with my girlfriends, does it look like I'm not interested in boys or if I'm hanging out with any of my guy friends, are people gonna think we're dating? But now I think I've reached a stage where I'm okay. This is my life. I'm going to live my life. And if you're so archaic that you don't understand the guy and that a guy and girl can just be friends or share common interests, you can enjoy whatever entertainment you get. It's of no consequence knowing who's doing what in their personal life. I just live with it. Personally, I don't feel the need to (clarify). However, the negative of it is that when you don't reveal too much, then it gives more space for stories to just be formed out of thin air. I can say that a lot of things written about my personal life have been completely false. That's the downside of being a little private.”
'He is a good friend'
So, we ask Manushi directly about the rumours of her dating actor Veer Pahariya. The two were spotted at the last year’s Ambani wedding, which led to the rumours of them dating. “Oh, my God, poor Veer. No way. No (we are not dating), absolutely not. He's a good friend. He was lovely enough to give me company during a wedding where I didn't know anyone. That's pretty much it. That's my only interaction with the boy,” she concludes.
I love Akshay Kumar's professionalism. He doesn’t take work-related stress home-Manushi Chhillar
8:11 AM
Stating that hour-long meeting with Aditya was first step to bagging Prithviraj, Manushi discusses the prep that went into making her Bollywood-ready
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; May 27, 2022)
We hear elaborate tales from young actors about how they, since childhood, wished to see themselves on the big screen. Manushi Chhillar’s isn’t that story. “I come from an academic-oriented family. But destiny had different plans,” she starts.
Bollywood has been the destination for many beauty queens. But the 2017 Miss World winner, who will be launched with Akshay Kumar-starrer Prithviraj, says her entry into the movies is accidental. “The film happened by chance. I met Adi sir [Aditya Chopra, producer] for a 10-minute meeting that lasted an hour. [After that], I did a series of auditions. But the fact that I was the leading lady didn’t sink in until the first day on the set. In the eight months in between, I trained at YRF Studios for eight hours every day — [learning classical] dancing, doing acting workshops, and perfecting the language.”
Director Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s period drama sees Chhillar as Princess Sanyogita. According to ancient texts, the 12th century princess defied her family to marry Prithviraj Chauhan. Chhillar believes women will identify with her part. “She was courageous, someone who could declare her love in public. She called out society’s hypocrisies, and had conviction in her beliefs that made her go against her father. Women will resonate with her spirit because she fights for the power to choose.”
There has been much discussion about the glaring age difference between Kumar, 54, and Chhillar, 25. Does the age gap perturb her? “I have to convince people that I am Princess Sanyogita. She was 18 at the time, which isn’t my age. But an actor’s job is to play all ages. That my co-star is older than me or vice versa is irrelevant. All that concerns me is that I should look the character’s age.”
She has deep respect for Kumar who taught her life lessons. “I love his professionalism. He doesn’t take work-related stress home. Our industry [festers] anxiety, which can burn one out soon. He makes a conscious effort to enjoy. I learnt a thing or two about not tiring myself out.”
I am sending Akshay Kumar the pictures of all my preparations of Ganesh Chaturthi-Manushi Chhillar
8:44 AM
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; August 22, 2020)
Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar, who hails from Haryana, came to Mumbai nearly three years ago, to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. For the first time this year, she has brought Lord Ganesha home to participate in the state’s most prominent festival. Manushi, who will be making her Bollywood debut opposite Akshay Kumar soon, has opted for an eco-friendly murti, and even the decoration follows a similar theme. In an interview with Bombay Times, she talks about the festivities, how she is missing her family and more. Excerpts:
This is the first year you are bringing home a Ganesha idol. What inspired you to host a five-day celebration?
I came to Mumbai almost three years ago to take part in the Femina Miss India beauty pageant. At that time, along with a few suitcases, I carried a small Ganpati idol with me. When I was competing in the Femina Miss India pageant, my parents and my friends, too, had gifted me a small Ganpati idol. When I set off for my Miss World journey, even at that time, I was given a Ganesha idol for luck and prosperity. During all the important occasions of my life, Lord Ganesha has always been there with me. After being in the city for nearly three years, I have closely seen how Maharashtrians celebrate this festival. This year, as I was home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I thought that I could devote a lot of time for the preparations and rituals.
Though you are from Haryana, you have also spent many years in Bengaluru and Delhi. What are your early memories of Ganesh Chaturthi?
Although we are originally from Haryana, due to my father’s job in the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) we travelled a lot. I spent seven years of my early life in Bengaluru, and we also lived in Delhi. I was always surrounded by a cosmopolitan crowd and army kids. We did celebrate the festival then, but the way we did it was different from how it is celebrated in Maharashtra. This is very new for me. I am very excited about it, but due to the pandemic, I can’t invite people, and I’m doing it in a humble setting. It is such a lovely tradition, and I wish to continue to do it year after year.
Tell us about the preparations at your home for the festival...
I have been staying with my dad here. I miss my siblings and my mother, who are away. I wish they were a part of the celebrations, too. My dad and I set this up on our own. The theme is eco-friendly. We have a lot of plants at home, so the décor has been done using plants and a lot of genda phool (marigold flowers). Also, the murti is a tree Ganesha, which is eco-friendly. The visarjan will be done at home as the murti will dissolve in water, and later, blossom into a beautiful plant. Due to the pandemic, I have invited only my neighbours, the rest of my relatives and friends will do the darshan over video calls. As far as my colleagues are concerned, Akshay Kumar is busy shooting. I am sending him the pictures of all my preparations. I am happy that I managed to pull this off. Talking about sweets, both my father and I have a sweet tooth, and we are excited that during these five days, we will be getting to eat a lot of them. My all-time favourite is Kaju Katli and Motichoor Laddoos. Honestly, I come from a family of halwais. My great-grandfather used to own a sweet house in Delhi.
How did you keep yourself busy when work came to a standstill during the pandemic?
When I realised that the city was going in for a lockdown, I took stock of my paints and canvases. I enjoy painting and that kept me going. I am also utilising this time to finish my studies. I have enrolled for an online course in English literature. Luckily, I had my father here with me. I think if there is anyone in my life, who has influenced me and inspired me to think big, it’s my father.
Were you disappointed that the lockdown came at a time when you had just started your journey in Bollywood?
I think this period was tough not only for those who were starting out, but everybody at large. In fact, it felt like a small break, and now, it’s time to get back to your routine. A lot has happened in the last three years. Imagine, this was a city that I had never visited before I landed here for the Femina Miss India beauty pageant. From being an unknown city, I happily refer to it as home now. I still don’t feel that I have begun my journey in movies, maybe once I see myself on the big screen, I will realise that.
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