PARINEETI RETURNS

It has been two-and-a-half years since Parineeti Chopra had a sizeable role in a Hindi film. Though the 28-year-old actress believes that “out of sight is out of mind” in Bollywood, especially for an actress, she wasn’t too perturbed with her absence. Chopra took a 10-month break in 2015 to address health issues, get fit and finish her house. She got back to work last year, the first results of which will be seen in the romantic comedy Meri Pyaari Bindu, releasing May 12.

“I overworked myself,” says Chopra about the three releases she had in 2014. “By the end of it I had started doing work without any thought. When Kill Dil and Daawat-e-Ishq didn’t do well, I took a break.”

In her first three years in the business, Chopra won praise for her debut, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, and then Ishaqzaade. Soon, though, naysayers began criticising her appearance, rather than praising her talent. But Chopra doesn’t seem bitter. “When I get a bad review for an outfit or my weight or how my make-up is done, I’m like ‘Yeah, exactly’,” she says. “I’m very objective. I know when I’m looking good or when I’m giving a good performance. I have no illusions about myself. Even my humour is self-deprecatory. I’m always analysing myself. If my nails aren’t growing properly, I will make fun of them for three days.” It’s this positivity and honesty that translate on to the screen and deliver results.

In her upcoming release, Meri Pyaari Bindu, Chopra doesn’t just act—she sings too. It comes naturally, she says, and as a matter of fact, she also has a BA (Hons) in Music. She claims to have been able to sing “ABCD” by the age of nine months, and says her first stage show was when she was three. “I feel very comfortable on stage. It is home ground,” she says. “Right now if you tell me to sing a song, I will be most happy to do so.”

“If my nails aren’t growing properly, I will make fun of them for three days”