Parineeti Chopra wants her own identity

Parineeti now wants her own identity.

“I am proud to be Priyanka’s cousin. But I want to be known for myself, the way Ranbir Kapoor is known although he is Kareena Kapoor’s cousin,” said Parineeti, who has been part of two hits Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Ishaqzaade.

“I don’t want to be called only Priyanka’s cousin. I want to be as good as her. People should say Priyanka and Parineeti are both fabulous actors,” she added.

However, she clarified that she doesn’t see Priyanka as competition at all.

“How can Priyanka be my rival? She has been here so much longer than I have,” she said.

Apart from acting, another common trait between them is that like Priyanka, Parineeti too is a trained singer. The former made her singing debut through international music single, In My City.

“It runs in the family. My dad and Priyanka’s dad are brothers. They used to sing together on stage. And when Priyanka and I were kids, we performed on stage together too,” she said. “So yeah, I love singing. If I get a chance to make a dream singing debut like Priyanka, I’d grab it.”

For her, self-discipline is a precondition.

“I was a focused student in school and college. I want to continue that way as an actor too,” she said.

As for stardom, Parineeti rejects it at the moment.

“I am not a star at all! Stardom comes after years of work. It doesn’t happen with two films. Let me get a solid seven to eight years of work done before we talk of stardom for me,” she added. “I’m just lucky to be here at a time when audiences are willing to watch newcomers.”

She admitted she enjoys being recognised on the streets. “If that didn’t happen, I’d be really depressed. My aim is to be known by everyone who sees films. I don’t want any viewer to ask, ‘Parineeti who?’ I am here for a very long time,” she said. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2013.

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