To say that Priyanka Chopra is on an all-time career high would be to state the obvious. Bajirao Mastani seems only to have added fuel to a fire already raging far and wide, what with Quantico, a People’s Choice Award and production ventures in regional Indian cinema. Poised to take yet another leap with It’s My City, India’s first original mobi-series in collaboration with NexGTv and Fluence, the actress speaks to us about taking risks, trusting her capability to work hard, being destiny’s favourite child and more.
RISK FACTOR
Given that the video-on-demand arena is still in its nascent stages in India, did the smartphone as a medium ever daunt her as a risky prospect to be involved with at the moment? “Every move I make is risky, and I think that’s what makes it all so interesting! You have to be able to follow your creative instincts. I’m excited about what we’re trying to create with this mobi-series and I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction from the audience,” she says, brimming with confidence and excitement. It’s My City revolves around the lives and struggles of four young girls in Mumbai, and has Priyanka making an appearance as their landlady. The actress adds, “I truly believe that the show reflects the reality of what’s happening with young India today.”
PRODUCTION DREAMS
Ask the actress if she sees herself producing something for the big screen in the near or distant future, and she responds promptly, “Absolutely! Which is, in fact, why I founded Purple Pebble Pictures, my production house. Today, entertainment has a wide canvas, which is not restricted by language or medium. With Purple Pebble Pictures, I aspire to erase boundaries and create an environment where the content/story is the hero.”
She goes on, “We are a country filled with exceptional young talent and my endeavor is to provide a platform to this talent across the entertainment business, so that they have a space to showcase their abilities.” She has already announced her foray into producing regional Indian films, the most awaited among which is the Bhojpuri film, Bam Bam Bol Raha Hai Kashi starring Dineshlal Nirahua and Amrapali Dubey. “We have a lineup of three films at the moment — in Bhojpuri, Punjabi and Marathi respectively. I don’t like to box myself up…I keep an open mind and go where my creative instinct leads me,” she affirms.
HOPES UP, HEAD DOWN
PC’s most recent Bollywood outing as Kashibai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani has earned her accolades from critics and the masses alike, and the kind of adulation that she admits to being fairly overwhelmed by. “I’m absolutely overwhelmed by the reaction to Kashi in Bajirao Mastani. I really am,” she shares. So much love, coupled with the kind of appreciation America has been giving her for her rendition of Alex Parish — does it ever lead to moments where expectations, both her own and of her audience, might make her a little edgy? She muses, “I’ve always lived with expectations, actually. Both good and bad. One thing that I learned very early in my career was that you need to have a tremendous amount of trust in yourself and the courage to do what your heart tells you. And you must do it with full conviction and earnestness. You must give it everything you have inside you…and that’s really what matters above all else.
The truth is, you really cant please all the people around you all the time. Expectations, criticism etc. come with this job. I just put my head down and follow my own path.”
DESTINY’S CHILD
The actress’ career has hit a dream curve of sorts, of late. And while there is, undoubtedly, a tremendous amount of grit and hard work that has gone into making it come about, is she also a believer in luck? “I have always believed that I’m destiny’s favorite child! Life offers us all so many opportunities and opens so many doors for us. I think the key is to first recognise those opportunities, and then put in all the work that is required and more to turn them into real, tangible successes. Luck exists, of course, but it can only get you to a certain point. Once you’re there, it’s literally in your own hands to work your way forward,” she avers.
