Priyanka is proud to be on par with male colleagues
Priyanka Chopra addresses us with a sore throat and a healthy sense of humour. “I usually don’t sound so sexy. Aaj meri awaaz thodi nasaaz hai,” says the actor-producer, accepting the congratulations for her double accolade — an honorary doctorate degree and being the only woman among the top 10 celebs in the Forbes Indian Celebrity 100 list.
Following a UNICEF event in Delhi, where she met some youngsters, Priyanka tells us how excited she is about this degree, being given by Bareilly International University. “Mom aaj bahut khush hongi, and I think my dad only made it happen! Because it was their life’s dream for me to become a doctor. And then I didn’t.” The 35-year-old actor, who lost her father in 2013, adds, “My dad would’ve been most excited.” (However, Christmas morning fog was a spoilsport; the flight to Bareilly couldn’t take off. Priyanka tweeted that she was “heartbroken”.)
The actor says that her “blood phobia” wouldn’t have let her become a doctor and that she likes numbers, so engineering was up her street. This doctorate is special, as Bareilly is where her roots are.
The girl from Bareilly is now a globetrotting superstar, with a Bollywood-Hollywood career and show fees that run into crores for a few minutes. Priyanka says that being the only woman in the top 10 — actors Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan are the first two — is “bittersweet” for her.
“I’m proud of the fact that I’ve had the achievements I’ve had, which puts me in that position, on par with my male colleagues. I work really hard... and I’m rewarded for it. But, at the same time, it makes me feel like... look at the disparity!” she says. Then, dismissing news headings about her show fees, she jokes, “If I’m made to feel guilty about it, then what will happen to those boys? The boys who for seconds take crores. My work matters, and I don’t let anyone pull me down.”