Aditya Roy Kapur is like a brother youve had at home: Parineeti

Parineeti Chopra, vivacious and talented, has had an impressive start in acting. In her forthcoming "Daawat-e-Ishq", her character reflects traits of her roles from her previous films. A love story opposite Aditya Roy Kapur, she is currently busy promoting it in a whirlwind. She talks to Pinkvilla about "Daawat-e-Ishq", her upcoming projects and her co-star Aditya Roy Kapur, who she calls below average in the romance area.

In the trailers of "Daawat-e-Ishq", you come across as a regular girl but at some point, with all that talk about google searches, you also seem to be tricking someone. So what's really happening with your character there?

This is a secret... (laughs) There is no point in spoiling your fun and giving out what's happening in that part. But having said that, I would like to point out that there is no big issue in the film that comes up with my character or Aditya's. There is no big issue to be resolved. We are telling you that the film is not trying to make a statement.

When you watch the film, you see lots of lovely, happy things, start to finish, it's just a feel good, breezy and light film. For the first time, I am saying, please take everybody along to watch this film. It's a film everyone from your grandmother, and your young cousin or nephew will love to watch. After a long time, this is a film that everyone will like to watch. And there is a lot of food in this film, which everyone will like.

With so much food, did you end up eating some of it during the shooting?

More like all of it. Ridiculous amounts of food have gone inside all of us while shooting for it! Initially, when I read the script, I thought it would be fun, and kept picking like Oh this scene needs me to eat biryani, this needs me to eat Shahi Tukda, this one requires us to eat kebabs.' But when you begin shooting for it, you start eating biryani at 8 a.m. and the scene is sometimes still not complete till 6 p.m. You need to keep eating biryani, for the right shot, and the close ups, the long shots, and takes. So by the end of the day, you are like ten plates down! So eating for a scene only looks like fun, it's not actually fun!

When you're making a film around food, and a specific city's culture, what's the ambience on the sets like? The film does seem to be a throwback, brings some nostalgia.

Actually, while it's a very simple film with a simple story at its heart, this film was not easy to make at all. Habib sir (Habib Faisal, the film's director) does not believe in creating sets, he prefers to shoot at real locations. Which is why, his film look textured. For this film too, we shot in real locations. So if it's Charminar that you see in the background, it's actually Charminar and not a chroma shot. We shot amidst 400,00 people, it was crowded and we had to look happy or engaged in our roles.

It became difficult to shoot, in that way. While it does look nostalgic, it's not so much fun. It's a lot of coordination, and it becomes quite hectic. People from the crew get flustered, but as an actor, I need to keep calm and work under pressure. My expressions and moods get affected then. What do I do if I need to deliver a really romantic scene in such a situation?

Aditya Roy Kapur and you, you've been linked with him too. What's it like working with him? Is he romantic?

I am linked with everybody I work with, Sidharth (Malhotra) and Sushant (Singh Rajput). It's a bit ridiculous.

Aditya? (laughs) He is below average in romance, I don't think he will be very romantic even in his love life. He is a very normal guy actually, as real as real gets. He is like a brother you've had at home or your friends would be with you. He will suddenly get up and say, Okay now I am going to the toilet', and you are like, We don't need to know that!' But he is like that all the time. For me, I found that attractive about him, because for a star like him, he doesn't have any airs at all. Otherwise, all actors get filmy yaar, at some point or other. I liked that about him.

I lead my personal life in a non-filmy way, normal manner. For me it's not like movie tickets my manager will get done, and I will have an entourage going to the airport with me. I manage my own bookings and travel most of the time. And he is similar to me in these matters. So I love him, I think he is an amazing person, enjoyed working with him.

So with "Hassee Toh Phasee" at the start of this year, and two releases planned ahead, it's been a fairly busy time for you. What are you planning to act in next?

I was shooting even in the gap after "Hassee Toh Phasee", so it was not relaxed. I have had three films this year. Also in the first half of the year, I haven't had time to finish my endorsements, or my appearances, and all my narrations. All that pending stuff, I am currently addressing so it has actually been busier for me.

Then there is the Illuminati production with Saif (Ali Khan), which is currently on hold.

Besides I am travelling in between, and I have started diving.

Right now, I am just looking forward to the audience's reaction to "Daawat-e-Ishq" as it's a sweet, simple film. And "Kill Dill" presents me in a different avatar, it's a new role and space for me. I am actually curious to know how people perceive me in that film.

Next on I am looking to do an urban love story. I definitely want to pick a love story, and an urban setting would be ideal. Something like "Hassee to Phasee" but in that film, I had a very challenging role. Now I wanted to do something simpler, just a typical rom com. Or maybe an action film!