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How has life changed after your first film and first Filmfare award for the best debut?
A lot. In this office, where I am sitting now, I used to coordinate interviews for Rani Mukerji, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and other Yash Raj stars. I didn't ever think of becoming an actor for the same production house. I came here as an intern and was working as a PR for a year. Seeing you in the newspaper, reading about yourself in the news, people recognizing you - all of that is a big change. I only used to see it happen with my sister and now it’s happening with me, I feel superb!
Did your cousin Priyanka Chopra help you? People say that she and her family refrained from supporting you in any way...
That's totally untrue. I stayed with them for a year. I never asked for Priyanka's help to get the job though. Even the head of publicity in YRF told me that he wouldn’t simply hire me since I was Priyanka's cousin. I can't compare myself to her, but I've always wanted to be an equally good actor. After watching my first film, she hugged me for five minutes. Thankfully, I haven't faced any problems because I have people like her, Maneesh and Adi around me. She has been in the industry for 10 years and knows how to handle situations. Also, she understands me. We are very similar in a lot of ways.
Was it a downer having to play a cameo in your debut film as opposed to Ishaqzaade, where you are the main lead?
Not at all. Maneesh and Adi told me this was the right thing to do and I trusted them. Dimple wasn't an ideal launch in the sense that it wasn't my solo lead film, but I knew that if I did a good job then people would notice me. That's what Adi said too and it was true.
How did Ishaqzaade happen?
Normally, a producer waits for the feedback from an actor's first film before signing him/her on for the next project. I played a brash Punjabi girl - fat, cute, badtameez ladki in Ricky Bahl. Ishaqzaade is the complete opposite. For Adi (Aditya Chopra) to have invested so much money on me means I must have something. Ishaqzaade is an outstanding script.
Was it intimidating working with Ranveer and Anushka?
I wasn't nervous. On my first day on set, I had a scene with Ranveer and Maneesh was worried about what I would do. But I just walked on set, looked at the camera and gave my shot with ease. I wasn't intimidated and felt comfortable in front of the camera. There were days when I struggled, but I was never camera conscious.
Would you be comfortable doing kissing scenes and donning bikinis.
If you are an actor, you will be asked to do certain things. If I'm told to do an intimate scene or wear certain clothes, I can't say no if that's what the script and character demands. I know there are actors who won't kiss on screen and I respect that, but I don't have any rules like that. I will stay true to the script.
First Day in Mumbai
(Laughs) I went straight to my sister’s house because I didn’t know anybody here and my family doesn’t stay here. It was especially awesome because I had made the decision to go from London to Bombay, I had moved so it was scary but at the same time very exciting! |
| First Day on set - First Scene from Action to Cut: |
| Ummm...actually it’s a very interesting story. I was in my make-up van and obviously Maneesh knowing it was my first day on any set he came to my make-up van saying ‘So kya chal raaha hai, how you are feeling, kya lag raaha hai’ and I was all like ‘Nothing I am ready, lets go’ so he’s like ‘Aacha chalo’ (laughs). Then he took me on set and the moment I saw the camera, I saw everybody touching up my make-up, hair, and costume. Everything is happening and Maneesh was explaining the scene to me, he said ‘Action’ I gave the shot and he said ‘cut’ and I was like Wow! This is completely easy I know how to do this ‘Yeh toh mujhe bilkool aata hai.’ I never felt shy in front of the camera all I wanted to do was give a good performance. I felt like I just belonged there, I never felt like I didn’t know how to do it. |
| First hero - Ranveer Singh |
| Yes! He is completely mad He’s a nutter. I knew him since the time when I worked with him on Band Baaja Baaraat because I was marketing at that time I wasn’t in films and since then we’ve been getting along. We’d dance on these crazy numbers, we used to talk all day and he’d always tell me ‘Tu toh please heroine baan ja’ I’d always say ‘No, no, no.’ Finally he became my co-star so life came full circle like that - it was fab, he used to give me terrific tips on set. |
| First Cheque |
| I got my first cheque and I called up by father and I said ‘Now you don’t need to send me money anymore, I will do things on my own’, he was like ‘Very good, very good’ (laughs) - he was obviously very proud of me. But yaar I just paid off my rent and all my bills, us hee mein sab kuch khatam ho gaya (laughs). First ko bhulo every cheque is spent, I don’t save any money I’m completely useless in that way. Thank god I didn’t become a banker my bank would’ve gone bankrupt! |
| The Aha! Moment - 1st moment you realized this is ‘IT’ |
| It was the most satisfying feeling ever because for 21 years the thing that I was working towards was being a finance person, an investment banker in London I left everything and I came to Mumbai not to be an actor just to be clear but to work in marketing. I always wanted to be an executive in a corporate and I left that also to become an actor. I remember telling my parents and they said ‘we respect your decision but make it worth it, do well in life.’ The moment I felt I loved it, I knew I would do well because it’s very important to love what you do. I really love it; I knew I had made the right decision. |
| As we wrap it up, up next is Ishaqzaade for you - are you feeling the heat now after a hit debut? |
| Oh no no, I think even after you do 40 films you still feel the pressure to deliver in fact the pressure only increases with each and every film. I am shaking in my boots and sh**ting in my pants, I want Habib sir to release the film tomorrow so that I know what’s happening and can be relieved (laughs). |
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