Publicly loved, privately lonely

She admits she felt lonely in the beginning, “and extremely scared because I didn’t know what I was doing. I mademy mistakes, I fell, I got up and dustedmyself off and continued. I taughtmyself everything I know…

“But the good thing is that I was fortunate to work with some incredible, talented people.’’

While she gleaned valuable experience over the years, she says she hasn’t changed inside.

“I think I’m still the same girl. I still have my fears, my insecurities. I do feel lost so many times. The past two years have been tough [she lost her father to cancer in June this year, after a long period of illness] and the only thing that has stood by me has been my work. I just wear my blinkers and go to work. It’s the only way I know how to achieve things that I want.’’

Ask Priyanka what she thinks makes her tick and she will say it’s her natural mix of East and West. “My go-to soul food is daal and rice or a double-baked cheeseburger. I am comfortable walking the red carpet in the latest haute However, moving to a music career in theWest has been a challenge and Priyanka is the first to admit this. “I’m pretty sure that for every successful person, once they decide to diversify themselves, it is scary… My heart flutters and there is an emptiness in my stomach,” she says, pointing out that there weren’t many role models to look up to or follow. “Not many have gone from acting into music. It is a completely diverse, big