‘I HAD A SOFT CORNER FOR POETRY’
Actor Priyanka Chopra isn’t saying if she’d do a Sahir Ludhianvi biopic, but recalls how absorbed she was in verse
Actor Priyanka Chopra is back in New York to shoot for her American TV show. The question is: when will Priyanka be seen in her next Bollywood film, because with a full-fledged Hollywood career, the 35-yearold actor is being very picky.
The big rumour has been that she’d collaborate with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of her favourite filmmakers, on a biopic of the Urdu poet and legendary film lyricist, Sahir Ludhianvi. When we ask about
it, Priyanka neatly ducks the question, saying, “I haven’t decided on any film.”
Whether she does the biopic or not, Priyanka has a strong connection with poetry. Her musical talent is well known; but her penchant for poetry is a more intimate passion. “I used to have a major soft corner for poetry,” she recalls, nostalgic about life before superstardom and jet-setting. “Whether it was Urdu, French, English — I loved English literature — or Hindi [poetry]. I used to do a lot of translation. Mujhe English se Hindi mein aur Urdu se Hindi mein anuvaad karna bada achcha lagta tha,” she says. “You know, I used to have a file where I’d keep [works of] poets from around the world, like Faiz saab (Faiz Ahmad Faiz), English poets... I used to translate them.”
Given her inclination, would Priyanka like to play a strong character like Amrita Pritam, the first eminent female Punjabi poet and novelist in the 20th century? “That’s not how I finalise a film, by romanticising a character,” says the actor. “Jo bhi mujhe filmo ki offer aati hai, I choose from those. Female characters are very important to me. And now being a [film] producer, I’m trying to create my own as well — whether it’s for me or for other talent. New talent is very important to me.”
With a 17-year acting career and the responsibilities of creating characters as a producer, Priyanka now wants something truly unique for herself. “I just gave a brief to my team, saying ki bhaiya mere liye bhi to kuch dhund lo! So, let’s see, hopefully,” she says, in her usual spirited mood, flashing a smile.