If you are in the company of a charismatic star such as Shah Rukh Khan, the chances of being overshadowed are pretty high. Throw Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara actor Farhan Akhtar and prolific producer Ritesh Sidhwani into that mix and consider your fate sealed. But screen-scorcher Priyanka Chopra, who will join the fabulous three jetting into town for the Dubai International Film Festival, says she'll play to her strengths.
"I am the girl. They are the ones who may have to hold their own in this talk. I have the power of the woman behind me," said Chopra in an exclusive interview with tabloid! about the foursome's public interactive session on Thursday at 4pm at Madinat Arena.
Billed as a fun afternoon along the lines of the saucy chat show Koffee With Karan, the stars will talk about "everything under the sun", says Chopra.
"Anything and everything. We talk about Don 2 and how it was to work in Berlin. More than anything, we will be talking about the 3D song that we are going to showcase. It's really cool," said Chopra. The never-seen-before clip will feature the deadly Don (Khan) and his junglee billi Roma (the wild cat played by Chopra) playing a game of cat and mouse.
"That song is so surreal and it shows the love-hate relationship between Don and Roma. And honestly, the idea of seeing myself in 3D is exciting."
The 29-year-old's highly scrutinsed personal life will remain strictly private, however. Though she has been linked to several men including Hollywood hottie Gerard Butler and Bollywood hunk Shahid Kapoor, Chopra clearly subscribes to the belief that public figures can afford to keep their private lives under wraps.
"I only talk about what I want to talk about." And if our succinct telephone chat is any indication, the "incredible Shah Rukh" and her forthcoming thriller Don 2 are on her mind right now.
Her loyalty towards King Khan is well-documented as she's known to dissolve into giggles each time any talk-show host brings up his name. Ask her about her crush and she's quick to correct us.
"It's not a crush. It's more of an admiration. And in Don 2, I have this incredible part. Roma is Don's junglee billi and she's Don's bad habit. He just can't help himself," she explains.
Amazing roles
Credited as one of the few actors in Bollywood to have roles specifically written for her, Chopra says: "All the roles I do are amazing in their own right. For instance in Don 2, I am a part of a relationship that's rarely seen in Hindi films. He's clearly the bad guy but you are also in love with him. It's this heart-wrenching situation. You don't know if you are angry with yourself or just angry with him. It's confused, conflicting emotions at play. It was tricky."
A tough cop falling in love with a hardened criminal is not an ideal love story, but there's one love affair in her life that's perfectly healthy.
Chopra is currently translating her love for music by cutting her own international pop album.
"Even before working on my own pop album, I was a musically driven person. I wake up in the morning and the first thing that I do is turn on my music. It is something that I have grown up on," says Chopra. Her tweets are often music-centric as she updates her legion of fans about what's playing on her iPod.
"Music is a part of me… but it's too early to talk about my album," says Chopra, who has signed with Universal Music and Desi Hits for the album, slated to release next year.
"Apart from music, there's movies to talk about. So it's all going to be just incredible."
Priyakana Chopra on...
Viral hit Kolaveri Di: "Nothing speaks like success. So whatever it takes man — as long as it's successful, nothing else matters. As a budding singer, it's not disillusioning. It's inspiring. Imagine a song which is South Indian and which people in the rest of the world may not understand has become such a huge phenomenon."
Film festivals: "Film festivals are a great way to celebrate what we do — celebrating cinema. They are basically inspirational because it's a platform where avid filmmakers and movie-lovers can come and watch their favourite actors."
Bumping into Tom Cruise: "We are not walking the red carpet with him but I am excited to see Anil Kapoor in the film. The promos look good."
Shah Rukh Khan: "He is an actor who can don any role — no pun intended! He's just someone who's incredible as Don."
Farhan Akhtar: "He's one of the most talented people that I know. He's a filmmaker, singer, songwriter, dialogue-writer and he does everything so well. A pioneer filmmaker among the youth today."
Ritesh Sidhwani: "The best counterpart that Farhan could ask for. He's such a good businessman yet thinks creatively. They make a formidable team."
