Tell me your dreams

Priyanka Chopra narrates her initial struggle in Bollywood and the desire to promote newbies in her home productions.

NEW DELHI: She enjoys star status in the film world, but Priyanka Chopra says she missed having a guiding light in her journey. Now as a producer, the former beauty queen plans to promote fresh talent.

“I didn’t know I was going to produce films. I want to make small movies and introduce new talent,” said Chopra while calling herself a “baby producer”.

Chopra, who made a successful transition from a beauty queen to an actress and is among the most formidable names in the Indian film industry today, says the encouragement to venture into production came from her own experience.

“When I came into the film industry, I had no one to hold my finger and show me the way and say, ‘This is the right direction’. I never had a mentor and I never even had friends who knew anything about films. “So for me, it was a very lonely and scary journey, and somewhere I wanted to make a production house which is a place to introduce new talent — writers, directors, musicians and actors through maybe small, but good films,” she said.

It is at this juncture that Madamji came knocking at her door. Madamji, her maiden production venture, will be directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and star Chopra herself. The shooting of the film is likely to begin in the end of November.



“It so happened that Madhur came up to me with Madamji. Then I felt that if I do a film with Madhur, with whom I have a great working relationship (thanks to Fashion), and if I produce it, it will give me a good foothold in film production.”

“I’m just a baby producer — nothing compared to the big films (producers) out there. So, it was a spontaneous decision to produce Madamji’,” added Chopra.

Spontaneity is something that comes naturally to chopra, who has gone beyond the realm of acting to establish her in the international music scene, apart from making her presence felt on forums for girl child rights and the need for a green environment.

“I’m extremely instinctive and spontaneous. So whatever comes my way, I just give it my best. I didn’t know I would become a musician, I didn’t even know I wanted to become an actress. I wanted to be an engineer! So, whenever I propose, god disposes,” she exclaimed.

“I’ve decided to let him only make my plans. The only thing I do is work really hard at every opportunity that’s given to me, and to whatever instinctively I feel like doing,” 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2014.

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