Roshni Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; March 18, 2019)

When Parineeti Chopra entered the industry eight years ago, she was touted as the next big thing. But somewhere down the line, things changed a bit with some of her big-ticket films not doing well at the box office. Around the time, she also received flak on social media for her sartorial style. But not one to give up, Parineeti, with some amount of introspection, brought about positive changes in her life and fought her way back into showbiz. Today, the fit and fab actress is raring to go, which is more than evident as we sit down for a chat ahead of of her next release, Kesari. Excerpts from our conversation...

A few months ago, your cousin Priyanka Chopra had a grand wedding. Post that, or perhaps even during the wedding, was the focus on you, with relatives asking if you’d be the next one to tie the knot?
No! The Chopra family is the coolest family to be a part of. Whether from my parents or my extended family, there is never any pressure for marriage. If you have somebody in your life and you want to tie the knot, it’s for you to decide. That’s how our families see it. Yes, they will always gossip and ask you if you have found the one, but they will never put pressure. Our family is full of achievers. Everyone has worked hard to reach where they are. Marriage is not something that we really talk about, but when someone is getting married, we go all out and celebrate, it’s one big party.

What kind of rapport do you share with Priyanka’s husband Nick Jonas?
I have known him since the time he was the boyfriend, today he is the husband. They had just started dating when I first met him. After that, we all went to Goa for a holiday and had a blast. I remember telling him there, ‘Buddy, I really like you. It’s nice that it’s working out’. When we came back, I told Priyanka that I had seen her this happy after many, many years. A month or two later, I had missed calls from her at 3 am and when I called them back, they were on a video call with me; they showed me the rings and said that they were engaged. I told them that there was never a doubt in my mind that this would happen because they are so good together. They are truly right for each other. What she needs, he is and what he needs, Mimi didi is. I tell her that I still can’t believe that she is married, but I also can’t imagine her being married to anyone else.

You’ve always been tight-lipped about your love life. You were linked to director Maneesh Sharma and more recently, to Charit Desai (who worked as an assistant director in Agneepath). In fact, there were rumours about you planning to tie the knot with him, which you refuted. So, are you in a relationship?
Honestly, I am not ready to talk about my love life. Now is not the right time. It will automatically come out of me whenever it has to. A lot of people think that I try to hide things, but that’s not the case. I just live my life and everyone around me knows if I am in a relationship or if I am single. It’s just the media that I haven’t said anything to. That’s why you would say that I am tight-lipped. I just don’t want to announce things saying, ‘Hello guys, good morning. Today is the day that I announce this, this and this!’ I don’t want to do that.

What about marriage?
Yes, why not? But for me, love is more important and I would want to get married only when I’m ready for it. Marriage doesn’t depend on any kind of timing or age, it depends on one’s mental state. If I am mentally ready for it, I will do it tomorrow. If not, I won’t do it for five years. For me, it’s about being with the person that I love. I’m totally open to it, I think it will be fun... the person has to be right.

On the work front, your film Kesari is set for release this week. Were you apprehensive about not having to do much in this war film?
Kesari was a film I just had to be a part of. When Karan (Johar) called to tell me about the film, I was instantly hooked to it and I said, whether I’m the leading lady or have a five-minute role, I want to do it. Everybody knows Kesari is about the Battle of Saragarhi, so obviously it is about the fighters, the brave souls. I just wanted to have my stamp, put my small little toe in the door if not into the room and be a part of the film.

How was it working with Akshay Kumar?
Akshay sir and I are similar when it comes to the discipline of being on set. We also believe in waking up early and finishing a lot of our work in the morning.

So you too, like Akshay, are up and about very early in the morning?
He wakes up at 4 or 5 am. I wake up around 6 - 6.30, which is fine. It’s still morning, people wake up at 10 am and that’s something I don’t understand. Today, Akshay sir is my Punjabi buddy and that’s because he makes everyone his buddy. There’s also a similarity I have seen between him and Ajay (Devgn) sir with whom I have worked in Golmaal. They are the only two senior actors I have worked with, hence I am comparing them. They both want to have fun on set, they want everyone to be happy. They come, do their work and leave... no manipulation, no politics; it’s just simple, clean filmmaking, which is a beautiful experience. I love that.

Your journey in Bollywood has been interesting. You started eight years ago and were touted as the next big thing. But then, some films did not click and your career saw a dip. However, you still managed to bounce back. What was the takeaway from the difficult phase?
It really gave me great insight into my own self. When I started off, I came like a blank slate and people kept writing whatever they wanted to and that made my story. Then that story went through its share of ups and downs. That’s when I made the time to actually step back and read what was written, and say that this is what I like, this is what I don’t like, I need to erase this and add this. It gave an insight into the kind of actor that I wanted to be, and now, that’s what I have become. The failure, if I may call it so, really taught me a lesson and I am blessed that it happened so early in my life. It happened at 27, which is nothing; people face failures at 40 and 45 and it is so difficult to deal with it at that time because there is so much going on in your life. I was a young girl, and I could deal with failure — think about it, do something about it and move on. God was extremely kind that he gave it to me at that point, so I could fix it really soon and have a long innings after that.

How much have you changed as a person and also in terms of your career choices since your first film?
As a person, I am almost the same, but I now have more clarity. I want to have a better work-life balance. I give a lot of importance to living life the way I want to and also putting my hundred per cent in work. I used to be a person of extremes; at one point, if I was working, I was only working, or if I was busy with my personal life, I was only doing that. I wasn’t a good multi-tasker. Today, I am able to balance things better and learn quicker. About choices when it comes to films, I don’t think you can really plan that. Even the most senior actor in the industry cannot be confident about how it’s going to go. The biggest of actors plan things that may not go anywhere, while some others may become accidental successes. So, you can’t really plan, you can only hope that things go as per your plan. Sometimes they do, but mostly, they don’t. I am to going to live each day, doing what I want to do. Every single decision will be mine. If it works, it would be great, if it doesn’t, that’s fine, too.

You received flak a few years ago for your dressing. Does it bother you that everything you do is under scrutiny because you are a celebrity?
The flak I got was some four-five years ago. I haven’t heard anything in the last two years and I think that’s because people have seen a change now. If I hadn’t got the flak, I don’t think that I would look my best today. The criticism helped me realise that I needed to change something about myself. I was told I wore bad clothes. That’s when I thought if I was choosing these clothes, it’s because I’m not fit. Once I’m fit, I’ll naturally choose good stuff because my taste is not bad. So, I made that change. One should take feedback positively, if you agree with it. Your attitude really determines your happiness in life. The mistake people make, and social media has added to it, is that they tend to compare themselves to others. In life, there will always be something missing in you, which somebody else has. Also, we are in showbiz and in today’s pap culture, we are literally seen all the time. I have some role models and I don’t like it when they are not looking good. If I am even one person’s role model, I want to look my best for them and for myself.

Where do you see yourself in the Bollywood rat race?
I don’t know, I’m just running. We’ll see where we reach.

You sang Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin (Meri Pyaari Bindu). Are you hoping to take your music to the next level?
Yes, I have recorded my single already. It’s going to come out soon.

And how about collaborating with Nick and Priyanka?
Wow... something like the von Trapp family! I don’t know, I’ll ask them.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?
I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next half an hour and I actually mean it in a morbid way. Who knows when you are going to drop dead... how can you plan anything? 

Parineeti Chopra on the importance of waiting for a good role, to turn producer or to be an item girl. After all, good things come to those who do!
Sarita A Tanwar (DNA; February 3, 2016)

Parineeti Chopra hasn’t faced a movie camera in over a year. But the feeling that it’s time for her return is very much in the air. Her name has come up in connection with many films from Befikre to Sultan (and even Dhoom:4, which isn’t on the horizon yet). If it will be a YRF film (most probably) or an outside production (why not?), is still not clear. The actress is tight-lipped about it. Here, she talks about the kind of role she is waiting for, why she isn’t averse to doing regional cinema or her condition for donning a bikini in a film. Read on...

What kind of film would excite you at this point?
Something different from what I have done before. I don’t want to do anything I have done before. A love story would be great, an action film would be great, just something out-of-the-box, I think..

Now that you’ve waited long, does the temptation to do something that’s even remotely exciting, exist?
There were many films that come like that you feel ‘Achcha, they are okay for the interim, let me just go for it.’ But no, that’s not what I’ve waited for. I have given it time so that I can do the film that I really want to, so I will only sign a film that I really want to do. I don’t want to do a film to just fill up time, I think that would be wrong.

What about producing a film, if the right one isn’t coming to you?
Maybe, someday, I don’t think I have the expertise right now. Not for a couple of years at least. I think I need a little more experience and I think I need to understand films a little more, the process of making them and maybe then, because a lot of money is involved. I wouldn’t like to put it in the wrong thing.

But nobody puts their own money into films, studios bankroll them.
I know, but you have to invest a certain amount. I mean I would like to attach my name to a film, if I know what I am doing. Right now, I think I am still discovering myself as an actor. I don’t think that I have become a person who can be anything other than an actor right now.

Wasn’t Priyanka supposed to produce a film for you?
No. I don’t know where that rumour came from. I think she must have mentioned that she would love to work with me. Or something like that. And it got blown up.

What about regional films? Everyone is doing South films now. Ash has done them. Even Sonakshi Sinha.
There are many. Yes, everyone has done them, but I have not. It just happened that way. I think my first three-four years went into doing these films. Last year was a break. I would love to do it honestly, if it’s a big director and something big, but till now I have not got anything exciting enough to take up.

How about an item song?
I’d love to do it. I am open (to the idea). I am seriously way open as an actor. Though I don’t think item songs exist anymore, if it’s a full-out dance number, I’d love to do it — whether it’s in my own film, or somebody’s else’s. I think it would be fun to do that.

Would you wear a bikini for a film?
I still don’t have a bikini body. If I have a bikini body, maybe I will.

The actress talks about how a traditional form of martial arts helped her get her body into perfect shape
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 11, 2015)

Parineeti Chopra has steamed up the social media by posting a series of pictures of her in skimpy sportswear, which highlights every muscle and all the not-needed kilos that she has finally lost. "I've worked really hard to change my shapeless body into a shapely one. I've always wanted to look fitter, more toned, wear better clothes but I was over-weight earlier. In fact, before I came down to India, I used to be obese, this really huge girl weighing 82 kgs. My new look should inspire those girls who believe they can never knock off the extra flab, that everybody has it in them to look good, you just have to really push it," insists the actress.

For Parineeti, the prep towards this startling metamorphosis began in February when she signed up for martial arts training. Unlike many of her B-town contemporaries like Jacqueline Fernandez and Alia Bhatt, the gym bores her and she didn't want to go back to the usual cardio and weights. "I don't like working out in a gym so I opted for Kalaripayattu (a traditional form of martial arts which originated in Kerala) which may not make you lose weight as fast but it promises greater flexibility. Earlier, I only wanted to be thin but over the last nine months since I started this strenuous form of yoga, I've begun to feel fit and strong and I like that. Of course, I'm still a work in progress," she laughs.

She mostly works out with her trainer at home and sometimes books a large, empty dance rehearsal hall. She tries to practise at least four to five times a week, on occasion going five days without a break. "It's invigorating and it works for me. But I can't promise that it will work for everyone because all of us have different body types," she reasons.

Parineeti also points out that it's important to watch what you eat but not starve yourself. "Any actor who is fit will tell you that the worst thing you can do is stop eating. You need to fuel the body regularly through the day. I even cheat with fattening treats but then I balance it out. And I never eat anything after 8 pm," she informs.

Buzz is, she's also signing up for a boot camp in Austria. Parineeti shrugs off the speculation saying it wasn't a boot camp but a detox centre to cleanse her body of all toxins. "It was only for five-six days and the doctors there informed me what food items I was intolerant or allergic towards. I don't want to go into details but it's important to cut these out of your daily diet and avoid indigestion and constipation," she says.

You wonder if the reason for Parineeti's self-imposed hiatus was a conscious decision to get into shape before appearing on screen. She is quick to refute this saying she has not signed any new films in a while because she wanted to do a certain kind of cinema and nobody was making those kind of films. "I used the time productively to do up my new apartment, work on myself and get some much needed rest. I had not taken a break in two years. But now, I am ready to get back to work and you can expect some announcements soon," she promises.