My hiatus has been hyped a lot, says Parineeti Chopra

Parineeti Chopra’s last movie was in 2014. Yet she maintains that Meri Pyaari Bindu is not a comeback (movie) for her. “I was always around,” she tells us, adding,  “I took a ten-month break by not shooting for a film and it was absolutely important for my life and career. I needed time to work on my health and my house, and do a bit of introspection. I wanted that break so that I could function more creatively. There was no fear of losing out on anything because I was very clear  about what I was aiming at that time. And when I was able to achieve what I wanted, I signed Bindu and Golmaal. My hiatus has been hyped too much and it's not a comeback for me. I was busy shooting for ads, magazines and was attending events.  But now, I want to suggest every artiste to take a break whenever they can.”

With the film that releases today, Parineeti also marks her playback debut in Bollywood. Could she relate to the song? She says, “I certainly could. My life has gone through several ups and downs and that’s probably why I could put so much soul into the song. Also, because it was my first song, I sang it with a lot of feelings.” But ask her if it was for anyone special? She makes it clear that though she likes to speak her mind but she wishes to keep her personal life private.

The 28-year-old plans to take up singing professionally too. “Now that the (singing) journey has begun and has started on a good note, I have  gained the confidence to take up more songs. I was always worried if my voice was a ‘playback voice’ or not, or if the audience will like it. But my first attempt went so well that I’ll be doing my second song pretty soon.” Parineeti recently performed as a singer in a concert, something she did after a gap of 12 years. “I’ve grown up singing in school events and other stage shows. But then I went to study in England, where I didn’t sing. When I came back to Mumbai, I started off as an actor. I used to sing but I didn’t see singing as a profession and thus never did a public show. And time just slipped by,” she says.

Since the film is about two neighbours, one wonders if the Shuddh Desi Romance actress has ever fallen  in love with any of her neighbours? “Maine kabhi nahi kiya, chhat wala pyaar. I used to go to the terrace to light the candles on Diwali, study in peace or maybe sometimes to even  hide but I’ve not done anything apart from that,” she chortles.   

Parineeti’s character is a singer who moonlights as voice-over artiste. So she had to speak in Tamil too. “I didn't know any South-Indian languages so I would sit with my Tamil tutor and mug up my lines. Ayushmann speaks a lot of Bengali in the film. We were conscious of getting the accent right because we didn't want anyone to come and slam us,” she says and adds that she has found a friend in co-star Ayushmann Khurrana, with whom she bonded more because they share the musical interests.

On another note, Pari also spoke about the one thing that she wished to change about the industry: “I think, the wage gap between the male and female actors should reduce. The pay disparity is huge and in some cases, it is irrational. I do agree that the hero sort of brings in the crowd but if a woman is also one of the protagonists, she's bringing business as well. In that case, the amount is not proportionate — women don't get paid according to the business they pull.” Lastly, about the topic of nepotism, she feels that it is an overused word.