I want to leave behind a legacy: PeeCee

She said that she faced racism in high school. “I was the only Indian girl in my class. I was called brownie and curry,” she reminisced. She added, “This year I realised South Asian actors in global entertainment are still a novelty. At the after party of Emmys, in a room full of 400 people, there were only four South Asians. Aziz Ansari said that eight years back there was one. I hope our efforts open the door for talent from South Asia.” She added that she did not want to be the “Big Fat Punjabi Wedding stereotype” and rather be seen as “a kickass actor”.

“I called Sanjay sir and Deepika and told them that I support them. I hope the art is viewed by everyone,” she said on the uproar over the film. But why not speak publicly? “Because celebrities are used. See, at a lecture about my life, I am being asked questions about another film. Ask the Government. I may have an opinion but I don’t need to be pushed in a corner to give it and became a scapegoat,” she said with a tinge of frustration.

Her friend Anushka Sharma got married and another friend Meghan Markle will be walking the aisle soon. When will we hear PeeCee’s wedding bells? She answered, “Of course, I want to get married. I am a cancerian. I love home. I want to have a cricket team of kids. But I am not apologetic for my career. I will do it at the right time par mere layak ladhka bhi toh milna chahiye. Woh thoda mushkil hai.”

“My biggest achievement is the ability to get over my fears… to turn my vulnerability into my strength because I’m usually emotional and I get affected by a lot of things. I know I come across as tough, sassy and witty. That is a big part of protecting myself. There has not been anyone holding out a safety net for me. So, I trust my instinct, so that even if I fail, it’ll be my failure. My biggest regret is I didn’t spend as much time as I did with my dad,” Priyanka signed off as she got a standing ovation.