Not about looking hot, but presentable:Parineeti

Written By Rahul NandaPosted Tue, Jun 18, 2013

Rated

An interesting set of events led me to work in Hasee Toh Phasee. I was offered the film last year; I loved the role and was dying to do it. But I had to say no due to a packed schedule. I told the people at Phantom (production company owned by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl and Madhu Mantena) that if they ever pushed this film to a later date they should inform me before offering it to someone else. Then after some time Karan asked me to meet him. I wondered what film Dharma could be offering me. Karan hinted at a film I already knew about. He was talking about Vinil's film and I said, 'I'm dying to do that movie. Have you guys pushed it?' Karan said, 'Yes!' I finally signed the film the third time round. I'm so glad that it didn't go to anyone else.

Not really. On the contrary, it's amazing because one day Karan gives his inputs and on another Vikas Bahl lends his words of wisdom. No one interferes at work. They have their meetings in office and plan their work and timelines. They don't throw their creative weight around on the set, like Karan will never come and ask Vinil to change the way he works. They let Vinil do his thing. There's no drifting on the set. It's so cute because they come, watch the shoot and leave.

The film got delayed because Maneesh having suffered a slip disc and not for any other reason. It was supposed to start in March last year but Maneesh fell ill in January. No way could he come on the set. So the film was pushed to September 2012. Shahid Kapoor and I waited for months. Come October and we were told that the film would be pushed to December because they'd decided to work on its music. Earlier the film was not supposed to have music. Shahid had to begin Phata Poster Nikla Hero at that point. Adi (Chopra) and he had a conversation and Shahid moved on. I was left doing nothing because I had not signed any other film. I had endorsements instead. Then they replaced Sushant Singh Rajput in Shahid's place. We finally began shooting in December.

I was offered films opposite big stars where I would have been made to look good and sing four songs. With the kind of success I've got, any other actress in my place would happily cool her heels. I've won awards for Ladies V/S Ricky Bahl, I've won the National Award for Ishaqzaade. After such acclaim the audience knows you can act. I could just do song and dance routines, enjoy life, travel the world and make money. But I'm taking a risk in terms of the scripts I'm picking. I'm choosing roles where I can perform.

Yes, I'm hungry for the appreciation that comes on a Friday, when people say, 'she was good' or when it's written in the papers, 'she did a good job'. I know the money will come and the travelling will happen too. I can work in big films next year but I want to be good in my first four to five films. I want to give acting my best shot. I want to be the actor to whom directors offer a role without asking, "Yeh role tum kar paogi?" I want to stand out in all my films, whether it's Hasee Toh Phasee or even Maneesh's next. These are author-backed roles and require homework. But Kill Dil is the first film I'm doing entirely for fun. It's a great role but it won't require me to do as much homework as the others require me to do. That's fine because by then I believe I'll have earned respect. Like Rani Mukerji can be in a bad film, but she'll be good. I want to be like that.

There was also another persistent rumour that I was seeing Uday Chopra. But because Uday is in Los Angeles and we don't meet often, that rumour has lost its buzz. There was another one about me dating Jackky Bhagnani. I don't even remember all the men I've been linked with. If you believe the press, then I was seeing Arjun Kapoor briefly too. Soon they will cook up something with Sid (Malhotra). Then they'll go back to Maneesh. That one remains constant. Not just because we're working together but also because we're really good friends and spend a lot of time together.

Yes I did. But I'd been on a recce for Ishaqzaade as well. At that time Arjun Kapoor, Habib Faisal sir (director) and I had been to Lucknow for five days. A recce is a part of my preparation. It's important for me to know where we are shooting. I want to know which door I'll enter from, which spot I'll stand in and which wall I'll lean on. Maneesh was on that recee but there were other people too. No one wants to write about that. May be actresses don't go on recces but I do. I've been visiting the locations of Hasee… as well. I don't know why a big deal is made out of it.

I've known Shahid much before I met Maneesh. Back when I used to live with Priyanka (Chopra), Shahid used to stay in the same building. We used to go out to eat all the time and have fun. I was fat then. So when we started prepping for the film, Shahid kept telling me, "You were such a fat girl and now look at the heroine you've become." I can't believe people can talk such shit. Maneesh would never throw Shahid out because of his friendship with me. Such speculations are absolutely ridiculous. They are best ignored.

Rubbish! Whenever I meet Maneesh I give him a hug. I meet Uday, I give him a hug too. The silver lining to this cloud is that I've been linked with all my friends. We're cool about it. We laugh it off. Maneesh and I were joking about these rumours on our film set too. But tomorrow if I get linked up with someone I don't know. My relationship with that person could get awkward.

There's a secret to our profession. You don't know everyone but everyone knows you. People can talk about anyone at the dinner table, they can speculate about everything under the sun. And it's okay to say things because you don't know that person and you don't know the facts. I wasn't seen in the media for two months during which I lost all the extra weight. So people started saying that the only way it could have happened was liposuction. It's lame. People talk about me going under the knife or undergoing liposuction. Why don't they come with me to the gym or see what I'm eating every day!

I can't tell you what a junk food fiend I was. I'm a pizza lover. Now I call the pizza joint to order just garlic bread. When I began my career I was okay eating pizza because the only thing that mattered then was how I performed. But today I'm part of the glamorous industry. How I look is as important as how I act. No one likes fat actresses. So I can't be arrogant and say it doesn't matter. It's not about looking hot and wearing a bikini, it's about looking presentable. Again, if I don't wear a bikini doesn't mean I can eat pizza. I've changed my diet drastically. The competition has increased. The audience can easily get bored of you. I want the audience to love me. So I'm working towards looking better. Saying I've gone under the knife is so unfair.