05 May,2026 01:29 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Priya Banerjee (Pic/Instagram)
Priya Banerjee recently starred in Amazon Prime Video's Candy and the Pizza Ggirl. The actress believes it's a risky film to make and she was elated being a part of this dark, crazy, and wacky comedy. In an exclusive chat with mid-day, she opens up about her role, journey in showbiz and relationship with Prateik Babbar.
Priya Banerjee described the film as something she has done before. She adds, "This is something I've done before, but what attracted me to the film is that it's a risky one to make, and I've never liked playing it safe. The irony of my life is that I don't actually like pizza, while my husband absolutely loves it. He's a total pizza boy."
Talking about her husband Prateik Babbar's reaction to her role, Priya Banerjee shared that he thoroughly enjoyed the film's unconventional tone. "He was laughing throughout. He said, âThis is exactly the kind of movie I would watch.' We both don't really enjoy mundane films. We're not the kind of people who would go and watch something like Saiyaara. To be very honest, that's a bit too vanilla for us."
The Baarish actress took a trip down memory lane as she recalled her early days in the industry. She made her debut in Telugu cinema before moving to Bollywood, where she starred in Jazbaa alongside Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Having grown up in Canada, Priya shared that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan were already hugely popular names there. She considers herself fortunate to have begun her Bollywood journey surrounded by such seasoned performers.
She said, "I feel incredibly blessed to have started my career with a project where I got to experience and witness such phenomenal actors at work. I got to watch Irrfan Khan perform, see Shabana Azmi in action, and share the space with Aishwarya."
Speaking about the realities of the entertainment industry, Priya Banerjee acknowledged that while her personal journey has largely been positive, she is aware of the difficult and, at times, traumatic experiences many women face.
She elaborates, "I've had friends who have left the industry because they couldn't cope with the kind of people they encountered. Personally, I haven't had any experience that left me traumatised or made me feel like I was in an unsafe situation. I've genuinely met and worked with good people, and the industry has been kind to me. That said, I can't speak for every woman. When women share their experiences, I believe them - because I know there is a lot of darkness here."
When Priya tied the knot with Prateik Babbar, they received backlash for not inviting Raj Babbar and other family members on their big day. When asked if the chatter bothered her, Priya admitted, "Honestly, it didn't. I think, as Pratik often tells me, it might be because I'm not from India. When I met him, I wasn't familiar with his family at all. I didn't know anyone, and I didn't even know much about where he came from. In a way, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
