I was never written off: Parineeti Chopra

"I was written off." - Parineeti Chopra

The last few years have been a rollercoaster ride for her in the tabloid pages. First, it was those extra kilos on her that were the talk of the town. Then her weight loss was the cause of much din. The fact that Parineeti Chopra didn't sign a film for two years had the trade pundits in turmoil. Then there was her love life. The jury is still out on whether she's seeing director Maneesh Sharma or not. Their on-and-off relationship has been the source of much speculation. On her part, she won't admit to the relationship. At the same time, talk of a break-up with him has her in splits. Clearly, the gossip hasn't been able to put a spin on her. Right now, she is focussed on her next outing with Ayushmann Khurrana, Meri Pyari Bindu. She may not have too many movies on hand at the moment but she knows where she's headed. She's steering the wheels of her career with much aplomb. Read on...

What keeps you going?

Okay, this may sound cheesy but it's true - love keeps me going. Like when I'm in love or I'm getting love... it could be from a boyfriend, from my family, fans, when I'm at an event or it could be a hit film, where my work gets appreciated and I'm loved. When I know that someone's there for me, it keeps me going. I'm a person who needs love all the time. I also love people passionately. So I give love all the time. There's no materialistic thing in this world that can keep me going. The day I feel lonely or if I feel less loved, I'll be depressed for sure.

Do you feel less loved ever?

There are days when I feel like that, of course. Like when you're not in a relationship, which is the case with me or when your family isn't with you... then you feel like who's in the world for me?' I am the kind of person who needs people and friends around.

Since we're talking about relationships, tell us about Maneesh Sharma. Talks about your on-and-off relationship keep circulating...

Yeah, Filmfare only carried an item about the break-up. And then other websites carried it. Maneesh called me up and asked, ab kya hua, tune kya bola?' I was like maine kuch nahi bola.' He's like pata kar reason kya hai.' Like last year there were talks that we'd broken up because I was moving into my own house. Which was crazy! Honestly, I'm a little bored of these rumours. In a way, it's a good thing also because I'm not being linked with everyone. But I'm being linked with this one person who's the least likely on the list. So it's a strange thing. But I laugh about it ya. What do I do?

So you're denying the rumours?

You know people believe it. There are people who're like So you and Maneesh na? Stop denying it' and I'm like No!' People don't believe me anymore. They think I'm lying. That's the sad thing. Nobody would believe that I haven't met him since two months. Hence the talk about the break-up. And I'm like are you mad!' I spoke to him half an hour ago...
I speak to him twice a day. I guess I am better off than most actors because they are linked to multiple people. I've to answer about just one person. Maneesh is a cool guy and he doesn't get affected by talks. He keeps telling me to stop talking about him in interviews. I say that I only talk when I'm asked about you. He's a non filmi guy. You'll not see him giving interviews. He's detached about all this. So he feels main kyun beech mein aa raha hoon teri life mein'.

It's unfair on him, his family. My family has gotten used to all this. The day I announce my relationship with someone, they'll be like oh she broke up with Maneesh and now she's seeing this person. She's moved on.' They've been doing this all the time. First they write she has signed this film and then they say she has been replaced, she is seeing so and so and now she has broken up. It happens all the time...

There were rumours about Sushant Singh Rajput and you dating as well?

It's crazy! I don't know from where these rumours come. After Shuddh Desi Romance, I've met Sushant only twice. In two years I've met him twice. Few days back when I bumped into him, we both were happy and he clicked a picture with me and posted it. The same week I bumped into him at an event and we were like wow in two years we haven't met but in one week we've met twice. That's it. Then the media started talking about how we're seeing each other. I've not even spoken to him after that.

What's the craziest thing you've done in love?

I don't think I'm that kind of a person. I've been in a couple of relationships. They've all been long term. I'm a homely girl. I chill at home, watch TV, maximum I'll go out for a movie. I'm not like let's go on a holiday. Let's do this and that. I'd rather spend one on one time, talk all night and go to sleep in the morning. I've not had any of these dramatic relationships where I've had to do something. Once I wrote a poem and that's the max I've done. I was awake one night and ended up writing a good piece of poetry. And I messaged it to him. He fainted with shock like tujhe kya hogaya'. So that's the most non characteristic thing I've done.

What's your idea of a relationship?

I'm not the dating kind. I don't just meet people, date them and go home with them. That's not my scene. Like I said, my relationship history has two long-term ones. Both times I thought I'd marry this person. Actually, for me a relationship is that. I'll never get attracted to you... I'll fall in love with you, be in a relationship with you. I won't be like let's see where this goes and let's try this out...That's not me. It's black and white and very simple with the intention of being long term always.

As an actress, is a boyfriend a distraction?

No no, not at all. My answer to this question is this line from Band Baaja Baaraat - pyaar aur vyapaar ek saath ho sakte hain'. It's very filmi but it's true. If I had somebody in my life, someone whom I could call at the end of the day, I'd work even better. Right now, I'm on my own and that's cool too. But being in love would make me happy too. I'm not the kind who says I want to focus on my career. I want to focus on both. I do want to get married in a few years and have children. I wouldn't put my career over everything else.

How do you deal with heartbreak?

Oh I'm a mess! Don't even ask! Like, full depression, crying, not eating, not sleeping, can't listen to music, don't feel like showering, don't feel like standing, working... It happened once and it was death. I was gone. I couldn't handle it. I was like main mar jaaon.' I can't be like fine I'll distract myself with work. I don't want anything else, I want to fix this.

What's a deal breaker for you?

I don't know... I could give you a list. Sometimes, it could be incompatibility, infidelity... I don't think that there is one hypothetical action that I can predict right now and be like if you do that, you're gone.' If I really had to think of something, disrespect would be a big thing for me. If you can't respect me, my profession, my family, people around me. If you're a person who doesn't know how to treat human beings then... But if I'm in love with you na, I'll try and make it work ya. I'll keep fixing it till it's completely broken.

Coming to your career, there are speculations as to why you don't have too many movies on hand...

Last year that happened because I didn't announce any film, which is fair, of course. My only complaint is that after Ishaqzaade I didn't get a film for nine months but no one spoke about it. I guess, maybe it wasn't that important at that time. Now everyone's making a big deal ki baara mahine hogaye. But it's like the weight loss thing ya. I know what I'm working on. Soon, I'll be ready to announce. I'm on a script finding spree. I gave myself time last year, I was reading scripts last year also. I wanted time off, I wanted to do up my house. I wanted to be in the right frame of mind.

In the meanwhile, your contemporaries like Alia Bhatt, Shraddha Kapoor moved ahead. Did you feel insecure about them?

Not of them in particular. You have to be patient and give yourself time. I am focussed on my life and how I am moving ahead... like the films that I want to do and my path. I am not like acha Alia ne yeh kiya toh main bhi yeh karungi.' The person that I am, I genuinely don't care about what people are doing.
Is it easy not to care?That strength has to come from inside. I've had flops in my career and I was like okay. I wish it was different, of course. Not doing good work scares me. You need to have that strength and understanding of the system. I have the understanding. When I entered, it was the golden phase for me ... I had four back-to-back films. Awards, National Award special mention... Everything goes up and down ya. People who were up earlier are down now. People who are up today, they were down pehle. Everyone goes through a journey.

Your last release was in November 2014. Isn't it a huge risk by being away for two years?

Of course, it's a huge risk. To keep yourself in the so- called game you must have a release a year, at least. See, Ishaqzaade released in May 2012, Shuddh Desi Romance in September 2013... that also came after one and a half years. Nobody made a big deal about it because both the films were blockbusters. It's only important to do good work. And then Hasee Toh Phasee, Dawat-e-Ishq and Kill Dill came together. Kya fayda hua? Two of them flopped.
I realised then that it was okay to have one release and wait for a good script.

You were written off by some...

I was never written off. Nobody ever said that now she's a flop, she should sit at home. That never happened. People were like why is she not signing anything, why is she hiding? There was speculation... It's great that you're being missed. You're not being written off. And that was only because of the equity I'd created in the first two-three years. I'd managed to do so much good work. People were not like yaar tum ghar par hi baitho' it was always like we want to see you, where are you?' Which is a great position to be in.