Still there are miles to go: Priyanka Chopra

Do you like flying around for promo hypes of your films?

“Like” is an understatement. I truly enjoy these promo programmes. Sometimes, they are so enjoyable that I do not mind repeating these trips even if they are for the same film. The only problem is that one has to answer out-of-the-box questions that do not relate to the film being promoted and sometimes, this creates issues with the producers. But to tell the truth, sometimes even this becomes a diversion from what one is doing at that given point of time.

In Bajirao Mastani, the character you have essayed, that of Kashibai who is Bajirao’s wife, is the third angle of the triangle and therefore, dominated by the two main characters, Bajirao and Mastani. Don’t you have issues with such roles?

Not at all because I was mentally prepared for this role even when I was shooting for Mary Kom which is quite some time ago. After playing the lead in many good films, I took it as a challenge to play the role of a sacrificing, decent and testing role for a change. I have no issues with this at all.

How many scenes do you have with Deepika Padukone?

Hardly in two scenes and one of them is in the song Pinga which has turned out to be a big hit. The film does not offer any scope for comparing between our performances because I am in other scenes and the characterisation is completely different from what Mastani’s is. Deepika is an old friend of mine and Sanjay was happy when he saw us together just before the Pinga song was to be shot.

Did the US stints so frequently make you homesick?

Yes, I used to feel extremely homesick in the US and was crazily looking out for a small escape route to come back home. I missed talking in Hindi and I missed meeting and chatting up with my friends. Besides, I knew that the promos, trailer and poster launches for Bajirao were happening back home without me in the picture. That added to the restlessness. The production team was constantly in touch with me. I had informed them that I would be back the minute I was free.

You had problems with the language for both Bajirao Mastani and Quantica. Would you like to elaborate?

Yes, there were serious language issues and I had to specially train for both. For Quantico, I had to acquire the correct American accent I did not have and found it difficult to get through. For Bajirao Mastani, I was playing a historical character from the Maratha rule which demanded a different kind of Marathi and I had to sound like a true-blue Maharasthrian. I took up training in Marathi dialect for the film and I strongly believe that as a dedicated and good actor, I can slip smoothly into any character I want and that is an everyday challenge for any actor.

Did Quantico raise racial problems?

Nothing like what I experienced when I lived in Boston as a student. While working in Quantico, I was both amused and shocked at the crazy ideas my co-actors have about Indians. They still believe that Indians are all snake charmers who love to play with snakes. God alone knows from where they got these ideas.

Over the past 13 years that you have been in films, it has always been an uphill task. Do you agree?

I am never hassled by hard work and the harder it gets, the more challenging it becomes for me. I am deeply inspired by Mary Kom who told me that when your body and mind are giving up, you must but must brave through it. I have made my choice of the kind of life I want to lead and neither do I want to make excuses nor take it for granted. Hard work falls within my life.

Do you think that your having been chosen to play the dynamic, action-oriented FBI agent in Quantico is a culmination of your work for 13 years?

Of course. The people who chose me for this role were actually recognizing me and my work as an Indian actress and they had heard of me before I felt. The Indian languages may differ from the American brand of English they use, but over the years, Indian films are not only being screened across the world but are also being made in several countries beyond Indian borders. I am basically an Indian actress. The fact that I have been taken for this role proves how much Indian cinema has spread across the world. Please note that 44 countries are watching Quantico every week which is a testament to the power of Indian cinema.

You career is generously marked by versatile characterisations in umpteen films. Would you like to comment on it?

That’s how I wanted my career to go. I played the autistic girl in Barfi, a cabaret dancer in Gunday, a real life sports champion in Mary Kom, a model who falls from the top and makes it to the top again in Fashion, and an out-and-out Punjabi girl in Dil Dhadakne Do besides that Maharashtrian girl from the slums in Kameeney and a totally negative role in Aitraaz.  I will be playing a tough cop in Prakash Jha’s Jai Gangaajal followed by the first production from my own house Purple Pebble Pictures tentatively titled Madameji. Still, there are miles to go and I am looking forward to them.