'People want to be shaken, stirred and moved while watching a film'

From becoming the face for desi talent in the US by headlining the ABC show Quantico to her marriage to pop star Nick Jonas Priyanka Chopra Jonas is evidently in a content space And yet for anyone who knows her well enough she is always hungry for moreWe catch up with her at Mehboob Studios Bandra and chat about why film sets need to go plasticfree given the alarming state of the environment but soon enough we nosedive into a conversation about what made her choose a fairly noncommercial filmmaker Shonali Boses The Sky Is Pink even when industry bigwigs were lining up at her doorstepI have never picked up conventional or mainstream films To me a good story matters the most I am a movie buff and this was a story that sucked me in Be it a Bajirao Mastani or a Mary Kom or Barfi they arent conventional Of course I do tentpole films but thats not the only thing I depend on Now the audience is different A few years ago when we were marketing our films we would say leave your brains at home and watch the movie People dont want to leave their brains behind at home anymore I understand that people want to shaken stirred and moved while watching a film starts off ChopraShe admits that she has not watched Boses films She keeps telling me How did you say yes to me without seeing my work Chopra says that the story moved her to bits The Sky Is Pink in Shonalis words is the love story of Niren and Aditi Chaudhury the parents of Aisha an author and motivational speaker who died of pulmonary fibrosisThis story is profound and funny It hits your heart I have been acting for 16 years I have worked with many new filmmakers When I talk to a filmmaker I can sense how much they know a subject The script spoke to me When I met her in New York I knew instinctively that I wanted to be directed by her There are filmmakers I have worked with and have not been able to trust I wanted an immersive experience and Shonali had clarity She told me how she lost her child There is a certain lightness about death She told me that people go when their work on Earth is done You shouldnt mourn their death but celebrate their life I hadnt dealt with my fathers death as well But she made me realise that I didnt need to mourn him People who love us dont want us to grieve This film discusses a heavy subject but is told by Aisha who is lighthearted Her parents decided to give her every kind of adventure and love that they could think of I was amazed that these reallife people who created an extraordinary life for their daughter It was incredibly inspiring for me as an actor I went through a rollercoaster of emotions laughing my guts out and crying a little through it The film made me call up those I love and tell them how much I cherish themChopra was attracted to the story of enduring love of Niren and Aditi who met as high school sweethearts Now at 55 they still hold hands give each other a peck and survived the loss of two children Their chemistry is overpowering 70 per cent of couples separate after the death of their children To be happy and have compassion is hard in such scenarios Life is not a pursuit of rage but happiness When my dad was suffering I remember the toll it took on mom MadhuShe derived the character from her mother as much as she did from Aditi and Shonali My mother is similar to Aditi fiercely protective and her own person We are taught as girls to have that kind of independence have opinions and have a voice I want the world to see that a freespirited family can be wellknit and doesnt take away from sanskarsThough Chopra is back with a Bollywood film after a gap she says I always had films coming my way But during Quantico I had to give 11 months of my year to them This is why I did Baywatch A Kid Like Jake and Isnt it Romantic because one month is not enough to finish a feature PostQuantico I knew what kind of film I was looking for I knew Alex Parish so well that I needed a role to scare me I wanted to be on my toes get sleepless nights I knew I wanted to be fed as an artiste Its a responsibility to play a reallife person I had to play a mother which I am not yet I remember a scene required me to go so deep into me that once cameras stopped I held Shonali and cried I was getting married when I was shooting so there was no time to plan the wedding in between the filmWith The Sky Is Pink Chopra also turns a Hindi film producer too I want to do web series and features across languages I am an EP on the Netflix film The White Tiger I am producing the Mindy Kaling film as well as web shows I like taking chance on new talent because I never had thatWe inform each other of every tiny detailPriyanka Chopra Jonas and husband Nick Jonas lead hectic lives thanks to their professional commitments PeeCee says We have rules We dont go two weeks without meeting each other no matter where we are in the world We have to stay in touch We have to inform each other of every tiny detail Our schedules are opposite when we are in different time zones but we FaceTime our way through this Its a modernday long distance relationship which is hinged on how much we want to make it work We love each others company and we are each others best friends Sometimes I wake him in the middle of the night and shriek out something that happened with me and hes there We get how important our work is to us We are ambitious and driven and in love in equal partsCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates