I don't think kissing, premarital sex, live-in are bold; they are just very real -Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti Chopra, who plays a confident girl in Shuddh Desi Romance, talks about her ideal man and why she has no issues doing intimate scenes onscreen
Anita Britto (MID-DAY; September 8, 2013)
There has been a one-and-a-half year gap between Ishaqzaade and Shuddh Desi Romance. Was it a deliberate attempt to take things slow?
No, it wasn't. But for some time I stopped signing movies as I wasn't getting any interesting offers. Ishaqzaade released in May while I signed Shuddh Desi Romance in January. I was only getting roles which were similar to Ishaqzaade but I wanted to do something different.
Now suddenly I have signed so many films together. Is being a Yash Raj girl an advantage or a responsibility?
It's a mutual relationship. They cast me because I am right for the role and I am working with them because they are the best production house. The directors are amazing, you get awesome roles and you have so much fun while shooting.
Would you call your character in Shuddh Desi Romance bold?
Actually, she is not bold at all, she is very real. I don't think kissing, premarital sex, live-in are bold; they are just very real. They happen. Whether you are in a live-in relationship or not has nothing to do with premarital sex. You don't have to live together to have sex. According to me, the only bold thing that I've done is smoking a cigarette in the movie because for me smoking is wrong.
You have done intimate scenes in both Ishaqzaade and Shuddh Desi Romance. How comfortable are you doing such scenes?
I will never do a film where they say: Yaar cheezein boring ho rahi hain ; let's increase the sex quotient of the film. Ek kissing scene daal dete hain Rs 10 crore ka business aur bada dete hain.' But both my films have not been like that. In Ishaqzaade the crux of the film was that the boy rapes her and she takes revenge, if you don't show the scene, then how do you explain the character? And in this film, Sushant was required to be physically intimate with me and Vaani for the conflict. Why should I go kissing everybody? I will only do it if it's important to the story.
Are you open to the idea of a live-in relationship?
It depends. Right now, I am single but if I have a man in my life and if I feel it is okay at that time and if my family is okay, then why not?
In Shuddh Desi Romance, you are very open about your relationships. Will you be as frank in real life when you find that special someone?
The moment I find someone I will announce it. I won't hide it.
What is your idea of an ideal man?
I have realised recently that he has to be a person who understands my life because an actress' life is really very different. It doesn't matter to me whether he is from the industry or not. I should be able to share my problems with him and seek his advice. I want him to be my best friend.
There was buzz about you dating director Maneesh Sharma. Is it true?
No, it's not true. Maneesh is my closest friend. We spend a lot of time together; as a result people will obviously feel that there is something happening. My love and respect for him is completely different. He is the reason I'm an actor today.
Your film has released on the same date as your cousin sister Priyanka Chopra's Zanjeer. Do you feel the heat?
They are two completely different films. The fact that two sisters' films are clashing on the same day has been hyped a lot, but we are pretty cool about it. We love each other a lot and wish both are films do well.
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