I look like a typical Indian small town girl – Parineeti Chopra – Part 2

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart… A few days back, we brought you Part 1 of Parineeti Chopra's exclusive interview in which the actress spoke about how she bagged Ishaqzaade, her co-star Arjun Kapoor and working under the strict disciplinarian Haibb Faisal. In Part 2, Parineeti reveals more about the music of Ishaqzaade, her look and styling in the film and her struggle from flab to fab. Read on…

Talk us through the music of Ishaqzaade, you seem to be having a blast especially in the 'Pareshaan' track?
I am a huge music buff and even a trained singer. So music is a very key element of any film for me. I don't mind watching even a bad film as long as it has good music. 'Pareshaan' was the first song I heard and I immediately asked Habib sir, "Main Is Gaane Mein Hoon Na?" When he said Yes, I was thrilled as I knew that this would be the track of the album. Amit Trivedi, who is known for his 'Cool dude' music, has broken his shackles and come up with an album that's different and yet somewhere retains his trademark style. Then I heard the other songs like 'Ishaqzaade', 'Aafaton Ke Parindey' and 'Chokra Jawaan' all of which have been beautifully done by Amit. Even if I was not a part of the film, I would still go and watch Ishaqzaade purely for the music.

A bit about your look and styling in the film…
Oh ho…I look like a typical Indian small town girl. I was very excited about donning this look as it's very different from how I dress up in real life. My character Zoya is seen wearing salwar-kameez along with jhumkas and bangles and one of the most interesting things is a waist coat which she is seen wearing for most part of the film. When you watch the film, you will know why I am wearing the waist-coat. The costumes have been done by Varsha-Shilpa but they have been all designed as per Habib sir's vision of the characters. It's beautiful how Habib sir can make you look good even when you are not looking like typical heroine material.

Both Arjun and you have one thing in common- the fat to fit struggle- tell us more about it…
Hahaha…Yes Arjun and I were obese. He was around 140 kgs and I was around 85 kgs before we thought of becoming actors. I had no intention of becoming an actor at that point of time. However, whilst I was working at YRF, I did begin losing a few kilos running around here and there and it was then that people started taking notice of me and put in the seed that I could try my hand at acting. I did lose a few kilos even for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl but Maneesh told me to not become too thin as my character Dimple was this chubby, girl from a well-to-do family. However, for Ishaqzaade, Habib sir wanted both of us to look fit so we did a fair bit of training for that. Arjun trained in Kalaripayattu- a form of martial arts and I did core strengthening, functional training, cross-fit etc to get in to the skin of the character. It was quite a task but it all seems worth it now when you look at the results on the big screen.

During Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, you were shielded from the media by YRF, do you think that worked in your favour?
This is a common misconception yaar…I was not shielded from the media by YRF. The fact is I had gone to Lucknow for the shoot of Ishaqzaade in September and returned only in January. Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl released in December. I was not even in town for the release of the film. I only came for a day for a press conference where the entire cast was introduced to the media. So it was not a deliberate move or anything like that.

You were constantly being compared to your more illustrious cousin Priyanka Chopra prior to release of Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, now do you think you have made a mark for yourself?
Yes…100% and I don't say this with any pride. When I started out, I just wanted to make sure that I make her proud and don't end up spoiling her name in any way. Priyanka is my elder sister and she is fab actress and there is never any competition with her whatsoever. I am happy when people now say that Parineeti can act as well.

Finally what are your forthcoming projects?
I've just finished dubbing for Ishaqzaade and am now neck deep in promotions. The release (May 11) is just around the corner and right now I am only focusing all my energies on Ishaqzaade. I do have a 3 film deal with YRF but I am also open to other exciting offers.