My ambition when I was four years old was to be married.
My father is conservative but has always supported my decisions. He lets me take my own decisions. His only condition while allowing me to come to Mumbai was that my mother must accompany me.
If more girls are educated, all of India stands to gain. The Girl Rising campaign aims to address that through various innovative initiatives that will not only help create awareness but also create a tangible platform to effect change.
I like bad boys, and I like to take them home to my mom.
I adore watching movies; movie marathons are my favorite pastime. I can watch up to five movies back to back. I also love music and like reading whenever I get the time.
I never had any awkward situations with Shah Rukh.
As a musician, I know that it’ll take time for me to get to the ranks of an established artiste. Nevertheless, I’m very happy that people are appreciating my music.
If my film does not do well, it really hurts me. But by God’s grace, even if some of my films may not have done well, people have still liked my work in it.
If two of your films don’t do well, people say you’re out in the cold and your career is over. One film does well, and you’ve had the best year of your life! I don’t believe in all that’s written.
Flying is my favorite time in the world. When I’m sitting in a plane, it’s amazing because it’s quiet and there’s no cell phones and no one to talk to you. It’s my favorite time. I read all my scripts. I catch up on my movies. I sleep. It’s the best. There’s no one telling you, “Time to go!”
I got into the movies by accident. When I got an offer, I thought, ‘Let’s try this, too.’ Everything in my life has happened by trial and error. I didn’t even think I would win the Miss India title, so where’s the question of thinking I’d come this far.
I love what I do, and for me, acting can be anything. It could be in America. It could be in India. It could be in England. It could be anything. As long as it’s an interesting part and an interesting opportunity, I would love to do it.
There are cliques in Bollywood, and people stick together, but I have always tried to stick to my work. As an industry, Bollywood is very competitive, and I’m very competitive as a person, but I’ve never been a part of any clique, and I’ve always worked with all actors and directors, all camps.
Own your choices. Have the courage of conviction.
From now on, if I was going to be an anomaly, I was going to be the shiniest damn anomaly around. I had no idea if I could pull off that sort of attitude or not, but I was sure as hell going to try.
Short version: Own your choices. Or, as my mother must have told me hundreds of times growing up, “have courage of conviction.
Had my professional do-my-best attitude somehow bled into my private behavior? Was my reluctance to end a relationship I hadn’t been happy in for some time related to a fear that I hadn’t done my best to make it work? That I hadn’t done absolutely everything in my power, in fact?
We can’t choose the family we were born into. But we can choose our actions. We all want to take care of the people we are closest to, those sitting at our table. But is there a world in which those who are blessed with more might build a larger table rather than building a higher fence?
When I wasn’t feeling numb, I felt lonely, sad, and isolated. No one understood what was going on inside me, because I didn’t tell anyone.
I hope that whatever I have learned along the way, from fellow passengers, from my efforts and my own mistakes, can contribute to your journey, too. Because as I have discovered, if you’re willing to be a student of life, the possibilities are endless.
Not hammer-strokes, but dance of the water, sings the pebbles into perfection. RABINDRANATH TAGORE.