Priyanka Chopra rises to the challenge

Actor says role in her first period film Bajirao Mastani is ‘tremendously hard’.

NEW DELHI: National Award-winning actor Priyanka Chopra, who earlier called Mary Kom her toughest film ever, said her upcoming film Bajirao Mastani, a period drama, has tested her acting skills as well. The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film is her career’s first period film.

“It’s my first period film and it is difficult to do a movie which narrates the story about an incident that happened about 500 years ago with no reference. The role is tremendously hard,” she said. The film is based on the love story between Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I (Ranveer Singh) and his second wife Mastani (Deepika Padukone). Priyanka plays Kashibai, the first wife of Baji Rao.

“The role is probably one of the most difficult ones that I have done till now. It’s because it is based in an era where I need to be spot-on in terms of the period and its culture. The role is heart-breaking as well. It’s testing me as an actor,” she added.

Priyanka, who recently unveiled the ‘Girl Rising’ campaign in India, expressed her desire to revisit a negative role in line with the character she depicted in the Akshay Kumar-starrer Aitraaz. “I want to do a negative role as they are different from the real you. You can be whatever you want and evil,” the actor commented. “As of now, I’m not playing any negative role. But I’m looking at a few things... Let’s see.”

November 30 marked 14 years since Priyanka was crowned ‘Miss World’, a moment she feels marked her ‘beginning’. “Wow! Was I really 17 then! The beginning of my beginning… My ‘Miss World’ anniversary. #Throwback,” she tweeted. After bagging the title, she ventured into Bollywood with the 2003 film The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, which also starred Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2014.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.