Unfinished Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is one of the most successful actors today. She not only has managed to top the list in her career as an actor but she has spread her wings as a singer, producer and an entrepreneur. How does she manage all these many roles? Is there something she is yet to acquire? Where do her dreams take her? Find the answer to these and many other questions as Shubarna Mukerji Shu, sits the lass down for a chat.
We at Bollywood Insider are big fans of Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who wouldn't be? She has been an inspiration to all those who have once felt like an outsider in their dreamworld. She has aced the trick of owning the room every time she walks into one. The first time she was auditioning for her Hollywood film, people didn't know her name but her aura made them stand and welcome her amidst them. For someone who has achieved this degree of success, it might be impossible to think she has unfulfilled dreams or wishes, yet as she is basking in the success of her critically acclaimed film The Sky Is Pink, she speaks about all dreams and more….
You have that happy glow on your face, the same we saw during your wedding or even during your first Karwa Chauth – what have you been upto?
I have been colouring the sky pink as you are aware of. It was such a difficult journey – emotionally as an actor, to be part of, to experience that perhaps my happy glow comes from the fact that I can leave a little of Aditi's pain behind.
Why only a little? Is it one of those films that are not leaving your soul?
Even the audience who have seen it have told me it has been difficult to get over it, it is difficult to think of two people or rather three (counting their son) trying to live a normal life with the death of their loved one always lurking in the shadows.
The Sky Is Pink – might not have made the numbers at the box office, but going by the standing ovation you got at the festivals, would it safe to say you have successfully made yet another International conquest?
I was humbled and even a little awkward to be truthful. To have 2000 people in the audience applauding your film for such a long time leaves you a little unsteady. It is not like I haven't had the festival experience before, but it was surreal this time around. Especially since Aditi and Niren were there too. It was the first time we were all seeing the film together so it was definitely a more heartening moment, we didn't know how they would react seeing their story up on the screen.
It was a brave decision to chose this film as your first after your wedding sabbatical…
It frankly chose me! Once you have met Aditi and Niren, you couldn't ask for more but to be a part of their story somehow.
You told me their romance reminded you of your parents…
I have a very fixed idea of what marriage should be like because I have idolised my parents for too long. For me, marriage, weddings and stuff are sacred. I have been taught marriage is always that of equals. You cannot put someone down, call yourself superior and control everything in a marriage. That's not how it is done. Marriage is about being together, in everything. Yes, you are right - I see a lot of my parents in Aditi and Niren (the protagonists from the Sky Is Pink) Aditi seems to be calling the shots, but she can do that only because she knows she has Niren's love and support. My dad and mom had the same equation.
How's the equation with Nick and you?
With Nick and I, we are still not as seasoned in the relationship but we are working it all out. We have moments when we disagree, there are moments when we argue but we don't let it go past that moment. We talk and we talk till we have ironed everything out and then sleep in each other's arms. That's marriage to me! Together always!
You have always been someone who has taken up more things than humanly possible. Even as we talk, your 2nd regional Indian film is set to release, you are starting with one more Bollywood production and your app Bumble is soaring too… how are you managing all this?
Well, I have a very good support system. My mother who is also my partner in a few of the ventures helps me a lot too. In a way, my career has always been alongside her. The kind of sacrifices my mother has made for me and my career, I don't think anyone else would have managed. She did it because she believed in my dreams. Can you imagine, a doctor giving up her practice for a daughter who dreamed to be an actress? We had no idea how to go about being an actor, I had no training, we had no contacts but we had that dream and made it a reality. But she still came with me, which I know not many would have done!
Together we have surmounted so much, managing a few jobs in 24hrs is not a big deal for us!
You guys make a great team rather than just a regular mother-daughter rapport…
I think when I hit my teenage years, we transition from being a mother and daughter to friends. And my mom has always been not just my friend, but my confidant, someone I lean on for support, advice, but at the same time can have fun with.
You have always been such a close-knit family, how was it for Nick to become a part of your unit?
It was completely organic. I don't think we needed any time at all. It happened that way because he comes from a family close-knit family too. So that was never an issue!
We see a lot of social media posts talking about how he has embraced his desi wife, is it a conscious decision on your part to make him more in sync with your culture?
Doesn't every couple do that? But Nick likes the culture and the tradition. It might have been a little overwhelming for them at the wedding, but the way the whole family his and mine have become one, it works very well.
When I see you, an accomplished girl with everything one could desire, one wonders if there are any unfulfilled dreams…
Personally, there are many milestones I have yet to achieve. Professionally too. I don't want to sit and enumerate all of them but to give you a gist, there are many things I have been blessed with, and I believe it is time to give back a little of what I have amassed.
Our major concern being when will we see you next onscreen?
Sooooon!!! I have two very interesting projects lined up. The first being Robert Rodriguez's We Can Be Heroes. I am a sucker for superhero films, so this one will be my slice of it. Also, there is Netflix's The White Tiger, which is the adaptation from Arvind Adiga's novel itself, that also has me as the Executive Producer and actress too. I am super excited for that, what more, I will be working with Rajkummar Rao something that I have been looking forward to for a while. He is a powerhouse!
If you ever had to sum up everything that has happened between Bareily to Bollywood, and beyond… how would you?
Well, that's an interesting title in itself. But my journey is something I am already penning in a book we have titled 'Unfinished….' The title itself tells you a little bit about where I am today. 'I have miles to go before I sleep'…
