Sunshine State Of Mind

Serial wanderluster and perennially bappy girl, Parineeti Chopra doles out deets on the real and reel journey so far

- Tanya Mehta

 

To an outsider, hers is a formulaic success story of sorts: A luck-by-chance job at Yashraj Films that ushered her out of the marketing department and onto an unanticipated onscreen debut that led to a slew of well-faring first few films. And then there’s her frightfully famous cousin who’s taking global cinema by a storm. But Chopra’s trajectory hasn’t been full of rainbows and butterflies. She’s had her fair share of movies that have missed the mark; she’s even taken a much spoken-about sabbatical from the industry to work on her health.

We first meet at our cover shoot where she turns up in an embellished denim jacket and bedazzled sneakers, emanating quintessential Bollywood spunk, accompanied by her trademark vivacious disposition. She’s bruised from an action scene she was shooting the previous night, but deftly poses for the camera before she’s off in a jiffy. Post several conversations with her elaborate entourage and some generous hours of waiting, I’m finally granted an audience with the busy actor. I catch her amid the making of her upcoming film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar in which she stars alongside Arjun Kapoor. She flashes me her high-wattage smile and profusely apologises for the delay in our meeting. “I’m just like a pawn, been picked up and dropped off at spots by my team,” she says. Eight films later, I ask her if she’s still getting used to being famous. “I’m a fairly detached person; I don’t come from a Bollywood upbringing, so acting for me is always a job. I’m still very rooted in my middle-class background, and my team has to constantly remind me that there are certain things I shouldn’t be doing because I’m in the public eye. But I still pay my own bills, drive myself around, and am more than capable of buying my own shampoo.”

UNANTICIPATED BEGINNINGS