Posted:
By Guneet Wadera - Filmicafe.com, 20 February 2012
http://www.filmicafe.com/celebrity_interview_detail.php?interview_id=1293
There are fairytales and there are fairly deserved tales, Parineeti Chopra is living a fairly deserved fairytale. Cinderella may have had her glass slippers but Parineeti has her acting chops and they are equally mighty fierce nonetheless.
Exploding onto screen with an explosive debut as Dimple Chaddha in Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl, she shone - singlehandedly stealing the show with her uninhibited performance stunning one and all.
Tune in to a fun and bindass Filmicafe conversation with the newest PC on the block - Parineeti Chopra.
Congratulations on all the awards you've been scooping up for Best Debut, the shelf space must be quickly filling up. How does it feel to be on the winning side?
Parineeti: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel awesome man!
It feels pretty cool. I have this new table for myself in my house for all my awards and I'm just not getting bored of them. Every morning I look at them, every night I look at them, everyday I look at them. I just cannot get over the fact that all this is happening to me with my first film.
Do you pinch yourself at times - do you feel like you're living a dream?
Parineeti: (Laughs) Actually I am glad you asked me that because everyone's been asking me the same things.
Whenever somebody becomes an actor the first thing they start thinking about is awards. Without any modesty I started shooting the film with absolutely no expectations from anything. I was so mesmerized by the sets, the camera, the costumes and the fact that I was an actor that I forgot about awards.
And then when the film released, I started getting praise from biggies in the industry and everybody started saying you must get all the awards this time and you will get them etc. that's when I actually started thinking about awards. After that the nominations started getting announced that's when I was like 'Yaar now I want some awards' and now I'm winning them so yeah I think I should start pinching myself because not everybody gets this.
Dimple Chaddha, the character has taken on a life of its own. When you were playing her did you feel this was going to be something special?
Parineeti: You know I was one of the first people to be cast for the film. When Maneesh Sharma the director was starting off the film I was the first person who he had cast in his mind and he had told Adi, Aditya Chopra that Parineeti is the best person to play this role and so forth all. He and I would meet everyday for readings while he was still casting and meeting a lot of people for the other parts. Whenever we would discuss and read Dimple's part on paper we both used to laugh.
So I knew from the very start that Dimple is going to be adorable and my expectation was that when people watch the film they will just smile when she comes on screen, I never knew that she would be so loved. I didn't know that a performance would come out of the character, would come out of me someone who has never acted before, that I would get awards - I had never thought to that level. I'd always thought that even when I watch the film I'll smile because she says such cute things, nothing more than that.
This whole Dimple phenomena is amazing yaar there can be no better booster for you. Now I feel like doing excellent work everyday!
What's been the biggest change in your life since the success of your first film?
Parineeti: As an actor it is the biggest change, being an actor itself is the biggest change because I have come from a background where I've always wanted to be an investment banker so going from that to this in one year. Seeing yourself in the newspaper, reading about yourself in the news, people recognizing you - all of that is a big change.
I only used to see it happen with my sister and now it's happening with me, I feel superb!
Speaking of your sister - in addition to sharing a nickname since you are both 'PC's, what else do you share with your cousin Priyanka?
Parineeti: She is a typical elder sister. She's the one I call at 3 o'clock at night, She calls me at 6 o'clock in the morning. She scolds me the moment I do something wrong, I ask her every question - the moment I have a doubt I ask her 'Didi kya karoon tell me' and because she has gone through everything before I have she has absolutely correct advice to give me.
Also we are very similar in a lot of ways so she knows how I react in situations so she tells me majorly 'I know you're going to do this and you better not do it yada yada yada' so I am fully scared of her but I love her because she is just amazing!
People keep asking me 'are you guys competitive because you both are actresses' etcetera but you know we don't have that type of relationship. It's never an actress talk, it's literally a big sister scolding me or telling me off or advising me. We completely forget what we are doing, what our work is nothing we just talk as a little sister and a big sister. She is the most amazing mentor I can have.
Shifting gears a tad since Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl was your first film let's talk about a few firsts.
First Day in Mumbai
Parineeti: (Laughs) I went straight to my sister's house because I didn't know anybody here and my family doesn't stay here. It was especially awesome because I had made the decision to go from London to Bombay, I had moved so it was scary but at the same time very exciting!
First Day on set - First Scene from Action to Cut
Parineeti: Ummm...actually it's a very interesting story. I was in my make-up van and obviously Maneesh knowing it was my first day on any set he came to my make-up van saying 'So kya chal raaha hai, how you are feeling, kya lag raaha hai' and I was all like 'Nothing I am ready, lets go' so he's like 'Aacha chalo'(laughs).
Then he took me on set and the moment I saw the camera, I saw everybody touching up my make-up, hair, costume. Everything is happening and Maneesh was explaining the scene to me, he said 'Action' I gave the shot and he said 'Cut' and I was like Wow! this is completely easy I know how to do this 'Yeh toh mujhe bilkool aata hai.' I never felt shy in front of the camera I infact was very confident in front of it, all I wanted to do was give a good performance. I felt like I just belonged there, I never felt like I didn't know how to do it.
First hero - Ranveer Singh
Parineeti: Yes! He is completely mad, He's a nutter.
I knew him since the time when I worked with him on Band Baaja Baaraat because I was marketing at that time I wasn't in films and since then we've been getting along. We'd dance on these crazy numbers, we used to talk all day and he'd always tell me 'Tu toh please heroine baan ja' I'd always say 'No, no, no.' Finally he became my co-star so life came full circle like that - it was fab, he used to give me terrific tips on set.
First song and dance - Jigar Ka Tudka
Parineeti: Yesss...! Arreee it was super fun.
You know Ranveer and me are very similar with our choice in Bollywood music. We both are ghaati, absolutely massy commercial music listeners. We would listen to Govinda - Karishma songs in the morning to get into the mood and go completely crazy. It was so, so, so much fun shooting that song I can't even begin to tell you; we both went totally mad on set because we loved it that much.
I started shooting the song five days after my first day on set and there would be these huge crowds. Delhi crowds are so amusing, they would hoot and they would root and they would shout and they would not let you shoot you know. It was literally like I went to a club and stayed there for three days - it was like a party everyday with a full on Punjabi crowd, it was simply superb!
And Vaibhavi ma'am is outstanding. On paper I am sure it is easy to get overwhelmed by what she's done already but the kind of person she is na you just can't get nervous. She will want the best shot out of you but she is so completely crazy on set that you keep laughing and in that enjoyment you give a good take and everything goes off smoothly, she has that effect on people. She's outstanding with her energy, so clear with her instructions that you can't be nervous - you just have fun with her and in the process do a good job.
First Cheque
Parineeti: I got my first cheque and I called up by father and I said 'Now you don't need to send me money anymore, I will do things on my own', he was like 'Very good, very good' (laughs) - he was obviously very proud of me.
But yaar I just paid off my rent and all my bills, us hee mein sab kuch khatam ho gaya (laughs).
So the first cheque was not saved then, it was spent right?
Parineeti: Nahi nahi yaar every cheque. First ko bhulo every cheque is spent, I don't save any money I'm completely useless in that way. Thank god I didn't become a banker my bank would've gone bankrupt!
First person you told when you got the role
Parineeti: See Maneesh is one of my closest friends today, I know he is my director and I should fully respect him but he's totally mad and I just adore him. He's the one that had told me about the contract that I had got, I toh spend the whole day with him only.
I called my parents - I spoke to my parents, he spoke to my parents because he knows my parents also. It was a totally MAD day. For a very long time it was a very hush-hush affair because things were not officially out in the papers, there were very few people I could talk to anyway so it was Maneesh, then it was Adi and I also called up Ranveer and Anushka.
the Aha! Moment - 1st moment you realized this is 'IT'
Parineeti: It was the most satisfying feeling ever because for 21 years the thing that I was working towards being a finance person, an investment banker in London I left everything and I came to Mumbai not to be an actor just to be clear. I started working in marketing, I always wanted to be an executive in a corporate and I left that also to become an actor.
I remember telling my parents and they said 'we respect your decision but make it worth it, do well in life.' The moment I felt I loved it, I knew I would well because it's very important to love what you do. Once I felt Oh my god! I find this really easy and I really love it, I knew I had made the right decision.
As we wrap it up, up next is Ishaqzaade for you - are you feeling the heat now after a hit debut?
Parineeti: Oh no no, I think even after you do 40 films you still feel the pressure to deliver in fact the pressure only increases with each and every film.
I am shaking in my boots and sh**ting in my pants, I want Habib sir to release the film tomorrow so that I know what's happening and can be relieved (laughs).
http://www.filmicafe.com/celebrity_interview_detail.php?interview_id=1293
There are fairytales and there are fairly deserved tales, Parineeti Chopra is living a fairly deserved fairytale. Cinderella may have had her glass slippers but Parineeti has her acting chops and they are equally mighty fierce nonetheless.
Exploding onto screen with an explosive debut as Dimple Chaddha in Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl, she shone - singlehandedly stealing the show with her uninhibited performance stunning one and all.
Tune in to a fun and bindass Filmicafe conversation with the newest PC on the block - Parineeti Chopra.
Congratulations on all the awards you've been scooping up for Best Debut, the shelf space must be quickly filling up. How does it feel to be on the winning side?
Parineeti: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel awesome man!
It feels pretty cool. I have this new table for myself in my house for all my awards and I'm just not getting bored of them. Every morning I look at them, every night I look at them, everyday I look at them. I just cannot get over the fact that all this is happening to me with my first film.
Do you pinch yourself at times - do you feel like you're living a dream?
Parineeti: (Laughs) Actually I am glad you asked me that because everyone's been asking me the same things.
Whenever somebody becomes an actor the first thing they start thinking about is awards. Without any modesty I started shooting the film with absolutely no expectations from anything. I was so mesmerized by the sets, the camera, the costumes and the fact that I was an actor that I forgot about awards.
And then when the film released, I started getting praise from biggies in the industry and everybody started saying you must get all the awards this time and you will get them etc. that's when I actually started thinking about awards. After that the nominations started getting announced that's when I was like 'Yaar now I want some awards' and now I'm winning them so yeah I think I should start pinching myself because not everybody gets this.
Dimple Chaddha, the character has taken on a life of its own. When you were playing her did you feel this was going to be something special?
Parineeti: You know I was one of the first people to be cast for the film. When Maneesh Sharma the director was starting off the film I was the first person who he had cast in his mind and he had told Adi, Aditya Chopra that Parineeti is the best person to play this role and so forth all. He and I would meet everyday for readings while he was still casting and meeting a lot of people for the other parts. Whenever we would discuss and read Dimple's part on paper we both used to laugh.
So I knew from the very start that Dimple is going to be adorable and my expectation was that when people watch the film they will just smile when she comes on screen, I never knew that she would be so loved. I didn't know that a performance would come out of the character, would come out of me someone who has never acted before, that I would get awards - I had never thought to that level. I'd always thought that even when I watch the film I'll smile because she says such cute things, nothing more than that.
This whole Dimple phenomena is amazing yaar there can be no better booster for you. Now I feel like doing excellent work everyday!
What's been the biggest change in your life since the success of your first film?
Parineeti: As an actor it is the biggest change, being an actor itself is the biggest change because I have come from a background where I've always wanted to be an investment banker so going from that to this in one year. Seeing yourself in the newspaper, reading about yourself in the news, people recognizing you - all of that is a big change.
I only used to see it happen with my sister and now it's happening with me, I feel superb!
Speaking of your sister - in addition to sharing a nickname since you are both 'PC's, what else do you share with your cousin Priyanka?
Parineeti: She is a typical elder sister. She's the one I call at 3 o'clock at night, She calls me at 6 o'clock in the morning. She scolds me the moment I do something wrong, I ask her every question - the moment I have a doubt I ask her 'Didi kya karoon tell me' and because she has gone through everything before I have she has absolutely correct advice to give me.
Also we are very similar in a lot of ways so she knows how I react in situations so she tells me majorly 'I know you're going to do this and you better not do it yada yada yada' so I am fully scared of her but I love her because she is just amazing!
People keep asking me 'are you guys competitive because you both are actresses' etcetera but you know we don't have that type of relationship. It's never an actress talk, it's literally a big sister scolding me or telling me off or advising me. We completely forget what we are doing, what our work is nothing we just talk as a little sister and a big sister. She is the most amazing mentor I can have.
Shifting gears a tad since Ladies Vs. Ricky Bahl was your first film let's talk about a few firsts.
First Day in Mumbai
Parineeti: (Laughs) I went straight to my sister's house because I didn't know anybody here and my family doesn't stay here. It was especially awesome because I had made the decision to go from London to Bombay, I had moved so it was scary but at the same time very exciting!
First Day on set - First Scene from Action to Cut
Parineeti: Ummm...actually it's a very interesting story. I was in my make-up van and obviously Maneesh knowing it was my first day on any set he came to my make-up van saying 'So kya chal raaha hai, how you are feeling, kya lag raaha hai' and I was all like 'Nothing I am ready, lets go' so he's like 'Aacha chalo'(laughs).
Then he took me on set and the moment I saw the camera, I saw everybody touching up my make-up, hair, costume. Everything is happening and Maneesh was explaining the scene to me, he said 'Action' I gave the shot and he said 'Cut' and I was like Wow! this is completely easy I know how to do this 'Yeh toh mujhe bilkool aata hai.' I never felt shy in front of the camera I infact was very confident in front of it, all I wanted to do was give a good performance. I felt like I just belonged there, I never felt like I didn't know how to do it.
First hero - Ranveer Singh
Parineeti: Yes! He is completely mad, He's a nutter.
I knew him since the time when I worked with him on Band Baaja Baaraat because I was marketing at that time I wasn't in films and since then we've been getting along. We'd dance on these crazy numbers, we used to talk all day and he'd always tell me 'Tu toh please heroine baan ja' I'd always say 'No, no, no.' Finally he became my co-star so life came full circle like that - it was fab, he used to give me terrific tips on set.
First song and dance - Jigar Ka Tudka
Parineeti: Yesss...! Arreee it was super fun.
You know Ranveer and me are very similar with our choice in Bollywood music. We both are ghaati, absolutely massy commercial music listeners. We would listen to Govinda - Karishma songs in the morning to get into the mood and go completely crazy. It was so, so, so much fun shooting that song I can't even begin to tell you; we both went totally mad on set because we loved it that much.
I started shooting the song five days after my first day on set and there would be these huge crowds. Delhi crowds are so amusing, they would hoot and they would root and they would shout and they would not let you shoot you know. It was literally like I went to a club and stayed there for three days - it was like a party everyday with a full on Punjabi crowd, it was simply superb!
And Vaibhavi ma'am is outstanding. On paper I am sure it is easy to get overwhelmed by what she's done already but the kind of person she is na you just can't get nervous. She will want the best shot out of you but she is so completely crazy on set that you keep laughing and in that enjoyment you give a good take and everything goes off smoothly, she has that effect on people. She's outstanding with her energy, so clear with her instructions that you can't be nervous - you just have fun with her and in the process do a good job.
First Cheque
Parineeti: I got my first cheque and I called up by father and I said 'Now you don't need to send me money anymore, I will do things on my own', he was like 'Very good, very good' (laughs) - he was obviously very proud of me.
But yaar I just paid off my rent and all my bills, us hee mein sab kuch khatam ho gaya (laughs).
So the first cheque was not saved then, it was spent right?
Parineeti: Nahi nahi yaar every cheque. First ko bhulo every cheque is spent, I don't save any money I'm completely useless in that way. Thank god I didn't become a banker my bank would've gone bankrupt!
First person you told when you got the role
Parineeti: See Maneesh is one of my closest friends today, I know he is my director and I should fully respect him but he's totally mad and I just adore him. He's the one that had told me about the contract that I had got, I toh spend the whole day with him only.
I called my parents - I spoke to my parents, he spoke to my parents because he knows my parents also. It was a totally MAD day. For a very long time it was a very hush-hush affair because things were not officially out in the papers, there were very few people I could talk to anyway so it was Maneesh, then it was Adi and I also called up Ranveer and Anushka.
the Aha! Moment - 1st moment you realized this is 'IT'
Parineeti: It was the most satisfying feeling ever because for 21 years the thing that I was working towards being a finance person, an investment banker in London I left everything and I came to Mumbai not to be an actor just to be clear. I started working in marketing, I always wanted to be an executive in a corporate and I left that also to become an actor.
I remember telling my parents and they said 'we respect your decision but make it worth it, do well in life.' The moment I felt I loved it, I knew I would well because it's very important to love what you do. Once I felt Oh my god! I find this really easy and I really love it, I knew I had made the right decision.
As we wrap it up, up next is Ishaqzaade for you - are you feeling the heat now after a hit debut?
Parineeti: Oh no no, I think even after you do 40 films you still feel the pressure to deliver in fact the pressure only increases with each and every film.
I am shaking in my boots and sh**ting in my pants, I want Habib sir to release the film tomorrow so that I know what's happening and can be relieved (laughs).
18