12 point someone

While the audience had lined up to hear about Priyanka Chopra’ s phenomenal journey, all they were handed out were inspirational pointers. By Team Viva

After hopping from one entry to the other over the course of an hour,  where the management tried to decide the gate from where media persons would enter, we were finally ushered into the green room with the promise of a quick note by actor Priyanka Chopra. While we sat waiting for the entrance of the diva, the one who has not only taken cinema in India and Hollywood by a storm, the organisers drilled us while dividing us into three groups to capture the perfect picture and create space for all to interact. What followed was a quick photo session and she had vanished within the proverbial bat of an eyelid. Our struggle didn’t end there, we were herded  and asked to follow the organisers to the space reserved for the media. But just like the actor, that too had vanished.

Slipping away from the herd, I managed to find a seat at the rear. Well, the disappointment continued as Chopra started her speech with the reason as to why she chose to speak on “Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Chasing a Dream” for the Penguin Annual Lecture though she revealed that she doesn’t like the phrase. “It puts all my hardwork, my ambitions and success in a box. I never started my life with the ambition to find a glass ceiling and break it. All I wanted was to chase my dream and become the best version of me — breaking all the obstacles,” she elaborated. However, she does not deny that it does exist, especially in the lives of countless women – in their personal or professional life. “Through my lecture, I want to present the tools to live and not let the glass ceiling define you.”

She presented PC’s 12 ways of becoming the best version of oneself.  “Who am I? One must try and understand who he or she is, what are the flaws or the strengths. All of us are afraid to change or are too rigid to let the dreams evolve,” said Chopra who initially wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. But at some point, she made her choices and is now counted among India’s top-earning film celebrities. However, that was something we all know.

As she went on with the speech, the numbers increased beyond the stated 12 and the interest of the audience started wavering.

What many found interesting during the course of her talk was her admission of having faced “abuse of power” in her professional life. “There were times when I was replaced by a girlfriend of the director or the hero, even after signing the contract. And I couldn’t do anything about it. Many more situations came because I never catered to the whims and fancies of powerful men. I only cater to my colleagues and friends who give me respect,” said the 35-year-old actress,who made sure that she was  treated in a different way because “I commanded that as I had the strength and support of my family.”

This year some of the best known actresses and celebrities from Hollywood came out and talked about their experiences of being abused while carving out a niche for themselves. Producer Harvey Weinstein became a prominent name in the list of abusers. While Bollywood in general condemned the prevalence of abuse but has shunned from naming anyone. Chopra feels that this is because of a cultural difference. “I think it has struck a chord with everyone in the world. You have all seen what happened with the Me Too hashtag. It was not just restricted to the US... It went all over the world. Different countries have different cultural boundaries. Meryl Streep can stand up and talk against the President over there (in US). They can sell anti-Trump memorabilia outside his house. It’s just a different the way we live in our nation and we need to respect it.”

Chopra is optimistic that the situation will change in India when the next generation is taught to respect a woman. “I wouldn’t call women victims, I would call them survivors. But there shouldn’t be a world where women have to survive, there should be a world where women thrive.”

When the anchor pointed out that author Shobhaa De commented that “look at how many (Weinsteins) there are in Bollywood,” the actress was quick with a repartee, “She seems to know a lot about it more... Why are you asking me?”

TV personality Sonia Singh who was moderating the session pointed out that while Chopra was vocal when her film Bajirao Mastani was dragged into controversy, she has been silent over Padmavati. She said: “When you as a media house put my name or any public person on to your ticker, people watch it. You use us. Rather than asking me about my life you want me to comment on someone else’s film...

And why with the evident polarisation, hasn’t this question been asked to a politician. What can an actor or a filmmaker do to change the scenario. I am as much a part of the society as you or anyone else in this room. So, I can have an opinion but I can’t be pushed into a corner and made into a scape goat.”

Having carved her space in Hollywood with a lead role in American TV show Quantico, Chopra  feels that it is the culture that’s different in Bollywood and Hollywood. But it is the value of time that she admires when it comes to the Western countries. “If the shooting starts at 7:18, that is when everyone is there, everything else is the same.”

Photos: Pankaj Kumar