KBC Queen Priyanka Chopra?

By Subhash K Jha

90 percent of the men who sit on the hot seat opposite Shah Rukh Khan in KBC share a fantasy. They want to take Priyanka Chopra on a holiday.

The cynosure of all sighs giggles at the observation. "I'm aware of this. It's very very sweet. In fact when I shot for KBC this was mentioned to me. I'm told men on KBC want to take me anywhere from a restaurant to the moon."

During Mr Bachchan's tenure on KBC it was Aishwarya Rai who seemed to occupy the maximum male attention.

Priyanka ponders that one. "Oh, really? I hope I don't get married next year." She laughs. "But seriously, I like being popular.That's what we work towards. I've been here for 3-4 years.

I've a long way to go. Considering I don't have a godfather in the industry, and I'm just a girl from Bihar in Bollywood, I feel doubly gratified when people appreciate me."

Priyanka just finished judging the Femina India Miss India contest. "It made me so nostalgic. It was a very emotional moment for me. I remembered my own walk on the ramp.

I knew exactly what the girls were going through. It was tough. I kept telling the other judges to get it right, because it could make or break lives….Life since the Crown has been tough. The walk from the ramp to screen hasn't been easy for me. So far the journey has been worth the while.

To keep one's head on the shoulder and one's family by one's side is very important. I'd be nowhere without my family."

She has more reason to get nostalgic. "Big Brother is the first film I shot for. But miraculously we completed most of the film in the last six months. So it's as fresh as a daisy. I haven't done a film like this.

And my co-star Sunny Deol will always remain special. I'm still very nervous of him. I still can't look him in the eyes. There's so much respect for him when he walks into a room. It's easy to get enamoured of his personality."

Priyanka remembers her initial gawkiness. "I didn't know where to stand, which way the camera was facing. Today I'm far more confident. I'm learning. I go to my set everyday like school."

She admits Sunny is the prime focus of Big Brother. "So were Krissh and Don. I think it's important to be part of successful films. Once I stand on my own I can do heroine-centric films. Right now I'm trying to do box-office-compatible films. I'm not ready to shoulder a film yet. I leave it to Sunny's strong sturdy shoulders."

Priyanka won't sign a new film until it excites her. "Till then I've my ads and stage shows. And I'll take that holiday which I've never taken in my life."