INTERVIEW: Parineeti Chopra

Not doing anything startlingly glamorous: Parineeti told  Subhash K. Jha 

Bollywood’s favourite girl-next-door Parineeti Chopra says she will wear a bikini only when she is in the right shape, but not right now.

Actor Parineeti Chopra on the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa during the promotion of film Daawat-e-Ishq, in Mumbai
Actor Parineeti Chopra on the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa during the promotion of film Daawat-e-Ishq, in Mumbai

Yash Raj Films is known for presenting their heroines in the most glamorous avatar on the screen. However, the 25-year-old, who has done five films with the banner including her forthcoming releases “Daawat-e-Ishq” and “Kill Dill”, is yet to flaunt her glamorous side.
Excerpts:
Q: So are you following the Yash Raj Films tradition of heroines getting into a bikini?
A: No, no, no! I am not doing anything that startlingly glamorous. But let me tell you I’m sure I’ll wear the bikini at the right opportunity. I’ve to get into the right shape for that.

Q: For that you’ll have to cut down on your pizzas?
A: Hai na? It’s impossible for me to cut down on my pizzas entirely. But I am trying. But “Kill Dill” doesn’t really require me to be ultra-slim. I play a girl from Delhi and I’ve to dress, look and speak in a certain way. It’s not as if I, Parineeti Chopra, would go out of character to prove how glamorous I can look.

Actor Parineeti Chopra on the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa during the promotion of film Daawat-e-Ishq, in Mumbai, on Aug. 26, 2014. (Photo: IANS)
Actor Parineeti Chopra on the sets of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa during the promotion of film Daawat-e-Ishq, in Mumbai, on Aug. 26, 2014. (Photo: IANS)

Q: Why is such a fuss about what you wear?
A: Wearing western outfits is not such a culture shock for me as it is made out to be. I am unnecessarily being slotted as the-girl-next-door because I guess every heroine has to be put in a compartment.

Q: Being a foodie did you enjoy doing “Daawat-e-Ishq”?
A: Yes, all three of us – Anupam (Kher) Sir, Aditya Roy Kapoor and I, love food. I’d say “Daawat-e-Ishq” is a celebration of love and food, love for food, love over food, and what have you.

Q: We love food. But strangely we don’t have too many Indian films about food?
A: It all happens in good time. We can’t have films about food just for the heck of it. There has to be a proper story to tell because it stretches to a two-and-a-half-hour of playing time. Though food plays an important part in “Daawat-e-Ishq”, it is at the end of the day a love story.

Q: Did you eat a lot during the film?
A: Oh, we were constantly eating. Every other day there was a sequence showing us eating and the scene would go on the entire day, so you can imagine. We ended up eating all the time.

Q: Did that mess up your metabolism?
A: No. I think my body was quite happy with all that food (laughs).

Q: “Daawat-e-Ishq” is your second film with Habib Faisal. How was the comfort level this time?
A: I think we have begun to understand one another to the point where we understand one another implicitly. I am very proud to be working with Habib sir again.

Actor Aditya Roy Kapoor
Actor Aditya Roy Kapoor