I'll begin my next film after Quantico: Priyanka

On Monday, Priyanka Chopra flew off to Los Angeles to shoot for her upcoming American TV show, Quantico, in which she plays FBI agent, Alex Parrish.

She'll be based in the US for the next six months. "I have filmed only one episode so far. I will film the next 13 now. Then depending on the ratings, it will get an 11-13 episode extension, move to Season 2 or get dropped," she smiles.

She'll be jetting back to India occasionally to film Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romance, Bajirao Mastani. She shot a heart-wrenching love song with Ranveer over three days, shot some solo sequences as the typical Peshwa Bai on a set with a waterfall, and still has 15-20 days work left on the film. The trailer released last week, and there were murmurs of Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone stealing the show. She laughs off the buzz saying, "We've received so many compliments. It's an epic love story and people are describing me as fragile. Mastani was a warrior and dancer, and Kashibai was a beautiful, simple, gharelu woman."

The actress hasn't signed a new film since Dil Dhadakne Do, but has one in the pipeline. "I will begin a new film only when I'm back after Quantico. There is no project with Zoya (Akhtar) at the moment. I love Zoya, she is fabulous, but who a director wants to cast is their prerogative," she asserts.

Earlier this year, Priyanka was offered the Salman Khan starrer, Sultan, but she turned it down and is believed to have suggested her sister, Parineeti Chopra's name instead. "Parineeti doesn't need my recommendation, she's a star in her own right," PeeCee tut-tuts. The actress has two separate teams managing her work in the US and in India.

Her mom, Madhu Chopra, threw a fit over her daughter's criminal schedule, after PeeCee admitted to having no time to bring in her 33rd birthday on July 18. But she was thrown a surprise bash by friends and family, anyway! "I have the 'Problem of Plenty' and have only been catching up on sleep during flights," she laughs, admitting that Gangaajal 2's wrap-up party on July 14 turned into a birthday bash with director-actor Prakash Jha shaking a leg. "There was masti, music and mithai."

Priyanka, who isn't obsessed with fitness, had to undertake special combat training for the sequel, since she has several hand-to-hand combat scenes with her male costars. She plays an IPS officer, modelled on real life journeys of female officers. She even lived with one, while she was filming in Bhopal. "I needed to understand the difference between a female and male officer and the problems they deal with. This interaction was the only research I did," she points out. Prakash Jha plays her subordinate and Priyanka insists that he didn't ask her for acting tips. She often teased him when he got ready for a shot, saying, "Ab aaya na oonth pahad ke neeche."

What's happening to her singing career? "I've recorded a pop single with an American rap artiste," she informs, refusing to reveal his identity. "Since it is not on my label, I can't make any announcements. The song is being produced by an American record company."

Ask her about the new films coming up, from Abhishek Bachchan's All Is Well to Riteish Deshmukh's Bangistan and Shah Rukh Khan's Raees and Fan, and PeeCee says, "It is really important that all these films do well. I haven't had the time to catch up on other people's work but I wish everyone luck and love."