Priyanka Chopra: I think all families are dysfunctional including mine

“I think all families are like this,” she says referring to the Mehras. “Mine, also,” she adds with a smile. “I am very close to my family, not just my immediate family but my whole ‘khandan’. When it comes to my mother, she knows everything about my life. We share a very friendly relationship – there are no judgments. She’s an over achiever, so from her I have learnt to do a lot of things. My father, on the other hand was very compassionate and kind. I’ve tried to imbibe those things from him. My brother is younger, so I bully him, which I believe is the right of all older siblings.”

When it comes to selecting scripts, the actress said she tends to trust her instincts and usually goes with the flow. It was Ayesha’s gentle and feminine qualities that drew her to play the Mehra daughter in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’. “Ayesha’s character is very strong. And she’s very feminine, so it was a bit confusing since I stepped into it soon after ‘Mary Kom’. But, she also possesses a lot of inner strength” she says.

However, Priyanka admits that she does not think it is necessary to relate to the characters she portrays onscreen. “There are similarities with all roles that I play, because I’m playing them so obviously it will have my personality. But, I am not of the belief that my personality has to match my characters. After all, I am an actor and my job is to act.”

Never known to repeat her roles onscreen, Priyanka Chopra says there is no clear-cut method to her acting process. “I’m a very spontaneous actor and so my process begins when I get on sets, unless of course I’m doing a film like ‘Mary Kom’ or ‘Don’. But, otherwise I cannot think too much about the character I have to play till I get on set. For me, it happens right before the shot. You cannot prepare enough for ‘action’ and ‘cut’. We have so many readings, but you don’t know till you’re there.”

Her plate maybe overflowing with Bollywood films, international projects and her music career, but Priyanka Chopra has no regrets. She says, “It is difficult to all these things together. I’m lucky I have such good films lined up like ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Gangaaajal 2’. Then there is ‘Quantico’ as a series, which I hope people will like and it will do well. But, it’s so new for me and I’m not sure if the world is ready for it. I’m very nervous about that. But, at the same time, I am physically tired. I don’t have time to break for a whole year. But, this is the life I have chosen, I feel blessed. It’s a good thing to have so much work. So I am dealing with it the best I can.”

Talking about her director Zoya Akhtar, who is known to use travel as a central theme in her cinematic work, Priyanka says, “Dil Dhadakne Do is more Zoya Akhtar’s philosophy. If you know her, you will see that this is how she lives her life and I think that really comes across in the film. Even though, we’re shown holidaying on a cruise, the film is not just about that. Certain sentiments are addressed in the film, wrapped beautifully in a package of a holiday,” says Priyanka Chopra.

Priyanka, who will share screen space with Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar and Shefali Shah in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, says it was an absolutely incredible experience shooting for two whole months on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. “The weather was perfect, the water was cool, the cities were beautiful, the food was amazing, the ship was great – it’s going to be an experience I will always remember.”

Unlike other celebrities who feel that it’s not always fair that their lives are constantly under the scanner, Priyanka says that it’s an aspect of showbiz that needs to be accepted. “Don’t be a public person if you don’t want people to be inquisitive about your private life. If you’re in the limelight, people will want to know about you. But, it is up to me as a public figure, to decide how much I want to share.”

With the new age of social media, Priyanka was one of the first few Indian celebrities to start Tweeting. “We should not fight the tide so much,” she says, when asked if stars feel they have lost the sense of mystery in the eyes of their fans. “There is growth and progress that will come in different forms in life. I think it is important to embrace it. Some people feel that the mystery of the movie star is lost, but it is the age of the Internet and cell phone. So, instead of fighting it, embrace it,” she further added.

And lastly, the songstress revealed that her music career in on hold for the moment. But, Priyanka has a surprise coming, “I have worked on an amazing track with an amazing American rapper and DJ, but that’s all I can say right now.”