If there was an award for Industry’s Busiest Star (Female) chances are Priyanka Chopra would be stealing it, hands-down. By her own admission, she works 16 hours a day, does four films a year, has two careers in two continents and don’t forget her businesses… “It’s crazy stuff!” she grins.
But take it easy? No chance! You can only do this while you are young, is the advice she got from her mother and it’s what she absolutely believes in. There is more than enough time to chill in life when you are older but while you have time on your side it must be utilised to secure your future.
PC believes a set of skills will always keep you financially independent and it was the Hindi film industry, in her case that helped her find her skill set. Creativity is her area of interest, her area of competency and she brings this aptitude to every sphere of her life, whether it is acting, singing, writing or production. Her skill set, she vouches, would allow her to be anything she desired; a painter or a poet – the sky is the limit.
It is what has propelled her to explore a range of possibilities including a music career and now an acting career in the West, besides moving into film production. And there could be more surprises in store, she lets on… why, she could just decide to be a sound producer tomorrow! Yes, the girl will most likely deliver on her promise that she will do so many new things, she will leave us all surprised. In the same breath, she adds that for young people or people who are ambitious and want to succeed, the world is your oyster.
There are endless number of vocations and professions – it isn’t restricted to being a doctor, an engineer or a lawyer anymore. Your interests can become your job, she points out, with flawless logic, her own life mirroring this mantra. Even within the entertainment world, acting is just a small percent of the whole picture, she avers. From production to choreography to direction, there’s something for any and every one with a dream in their heart and ambition in their soul.
…One must add, a thick hide, to this list of must-haves; something Priyanka has unerringly developed over time. It’s what helps deflect the barrage of criticism and keeps her focussed on her goal to the exclusion of all else. She declares that she is a path-breaker, who has just gone ahead and done what she has believed in, always. Whether it was doing ‘Fashion’ at a time when people said that woman-oriented films don’t work, whether it was doing ‘Aitraaz’ despite people predicting that she would thenceforth be typecast as a vamp, or whether it was doing ‘Barfi!’ while they chanted that she would never be seen as glamorous again – she has just gone ahead and done it, period.
Her rationale? Never to listen to people’s opinions when it comes to her work and her art. A woman in today’s world, she believes, has got to be blasé and strong, to instinctively go with what her head and heart tell her, never allowing the dire predictions of the world to matter. It helps that this stunner has a near-zero fear of the unknown. She reveals that she has always been a little too curious about life. Even as a child, it was always what she was forbidden to do, that held maximum attraction for her. That curiosity, that desire to test boundaries, is still alive and thriving within her today. She admits to having a penchant for exploring the unknown and unfamiliar. Be it the ocean at night or trying a combination of ice cream and cola, she is eager to discover and explore new tastes, new experiences.
It is impossible to go through life with such and attitude and not be singed occasionally and PC has had her share of burnt fingers. But she shrugs it away, declaring that, that is the price one pays for being a rebel without a cause. Maverick, non-conformist, one of a kind… Priyanka Chopra is that spirit always in search of new highs, new destinations, new conquests… Tying her down would be an exercise in futility!
