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If you look at her perfect ten bod, you wouldn’t think Priyanka Chopra is a foodie. But the actress simply adores desi khana. In fact, she succumbs every time there’s good Indian or Thai food around, even while the other beauties brainwash themselves into resisting the sumptuous goodies. What those around her can’t figure out is how PC maintains that lovely figure inspite of her weakness for such food. Now we’re sure the other actresses are already spying around to find out the secret of Priyanka’s fitness!

It’s a range of emotions that Priyanka Chopra is going through right now. After receiving the honour of being the Grand Marshal in the US recently when NRIs celebrated India’s Independence Day there, Priyanka was delighted with the opportunity of mingling with her fans abroad. The actress had gone there with her dad, and it was heartening to see the proud father witness the spectacle. However, due to his illness, Priyanka’s father had to stay back in Boston for treatment, and the doting daughter is feeling quite upset about this. Cheer up, Priyanka. We’re all praying for your father to get well soon!

Last week Priyanka Chopra visited some army camps at Tenga, near the Assam and Arunachal Pradesh border. After having interacted and shaken a leg with the army jawans, the actress was heading for Tezpur, enroute Mumbai, when she was caught in a landslide.

Priyanka was caught in a traffic snarl due to flash floods and mudslides triggered by the heavy monsoons in the north-east. She was left helpless in her car for six hours at a stretch, after which she spent another four hours at an army camp. She had important meetings to attend in Mumbai, and couldn’t even cancel them since her mobile phone showed no signal. She couldn’t step out of the car either, as the rain was relentless. She was accompanied by mom Madhu and her staff. While her staff panicked about the situation, the actress kept her calm and spent time chatting with a jawan who happened to be on duty there.

Says Chopra’s make-up artiste Rajesh Patil, “We have never seen such fury of nature. Huge rocks and boulders were rolling down from the adjacent hills. It was quite an experience for all of us.”

The jawan later relayed a message to a nearby army camp and after a few hours senior army officials rushed to the spot to rescue the damsel in distress. She was then given shelter at a nearby army camp. Once inside the camp, the actress chose not to relax and instead chatted up with the army officers about ways to handle such crises.

Adds Patil, “We have heard about floods leaving a trail of destruction, washing away villages, submerging paddy fields, drowning livestock, besides causing loss of human life and property every year. Priyanka really wanted to something to help out the local folks.”

The flood situation in Assam worsened that evening with all major rivers and their tributaries in full spate. However, with army assistance the actress and her staff reached the airport the next morning.

Actress Priyanka Chopra is happy to see her dad healthy and singing. Recently, when she was the guest of honour at a charity function raising funds for an old age home in Karjat, it was an emotional time for the Chopras. While dad Ashok Chopra sang a song on the occasion, daughter Priyanka also rendered a couple of lines and spoke of her childhood days. That was enough to get papa Chopra weeping - those were tears of joy, of course. And all were touched.

A lot of newsprint (and cyberspace) has been allotted to the Priyanka-Salman fight. While Priyanka is supposed to have had a misunderstanding with Salman Khan on the sets of Salaam-e-Ishq, there was another story about the actor having a showdown with the Khan on the sets of a film to be directed by debutant director Prem Soni. However, Priyanka claims that such rumours are baseless. In fact, she’s doing her third film God Tussi Great Ho with the Khan, and she claims the truth is apparent. “I am very fond of Salman,” says Priyanka. “I have worked with him since I was very new to the industry and I owe him a lot. I respect him a lot so I don’t have any adverse feelings towards him.”

With the actor being busy with a number of assignments, does she find time for herself, we enquire? “Of course I get time to relax. Everybody gets time to relax, and those who say they don’t are lying,” she laughs. “Seriously, of course, some people work 20 hours a day, and I know a lot of those. In fact, I used to be one of those, but I’ve slowed down a little bit. But relaxing is something that is very mental - it’s all in the mind. You could be physically sitting in a room thinking you’re relaxing, but if you’re constantly thinking, then such relaxation is meaningless.” What does she do when she wants to relax? “A very therapeutic way of relaxing for me is listening to music or watching a good film or reading a great script,” she reveals.

And what about singing? We hear she’s got a fabulous voice. In fact, we have heard that she plans to release an album of her own? “No, I have never sung in any of my films, and there are no plans so far for an album. But yes, I want to do something like that in the future, not right though. I am not ready yet.”

Does she do riyaaz everyday? “That is something I want to do before I sing,” she admits. Now with Priyanka thinking on those lines, don’t be surprised if a film-maker convinces her to do a ‘Kya Bolta Tu’ any day now!

Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday today. And though the actress is always busy, she takes out some time to spend with her family on her special day. The actress has recently signed a God Tussi Great Ho with Salman Khan. The actress who made it to the big league will hopefully continue the good work. And with Don 2 and Drona coming up this will definitely be an action-packed year for the actress. Here’s wishing her a rocking year ahead.

Priyanka Chopra has wowed us as an actress and she keeps impressing us with her performances, but did you know that there’s a softer, mushier side to her too? Priyanka, we hear, is very fond of ghazals and poetry. In fact, she takes time off her busy schedule to listen to ghazals and read up as much poetry as possible. And as if that weren’t easy, she even pens her thoughts and poetry constantly whenever she can. Now if you suddenly hear of a poetry book authored by Priyanka Chopra, don’t be surprised - it’s PC at her poetic best.

Priyanka Chopra is finally ready to shift into her new house at Raj Classic, Yari Road. However, the actor has decided to move into the new house without her parents with whom she had been staying even after being a star. While Priyanka’s parents will also be staying in the same building, they will shift into another house that the actor has bought for them. According to a source, “Priyanka has purchased two houses in Raj Classic. One is for herself while her parents will move into the other house. The two houses will be completely independent and individualistic in nature. Even the entries will be separate. Priyanka was looking in for an entire floor but couldn’t find one. That’s when she settled with two houses in the same building.” Priyanka’s father, Dr Chopra, confirms, “Yes, we are shifting into two separate houses. Priyanka is a grown-up girl now and I believe privacy is important for everyone and I choose to give her that. Stability increases when you stay on your own, take your decisions, manage your house by yourself and she will enjoy the experience.”

Although the family is seemingly not too happy with the idea of separate houses, they have decided to meet halfway. “Privacy is important after a point of time, but I also believe in the unity of the family. To make sure that we interact with Priyanka frequently, we have decided to have a common kitchen,” adds Dr Chopra.

Life has never been this good for Priyanka Chopra. Two of her films Don and Krissh have gone on to become blockbusters, creating a sturdy place for Miss Piggy Chops in the annals of Bollywood. And although she might have received quite a lot of flak for her role in Salaam-e-Ishq, never-say-die Priyanka is raring to go… literally!

How does it feel to be the new powergirl of Bollywood?
It’s flattering but I have never thought of myself as the new ‘powergirl’ of Bollywood. I am thankful to God, my parents and all those who have worked with me, for their unconditional support and encouragement because of whom I have been able to make a mark somewhere. But I have a long way to go.

How much truth is there to the buzz that Hrithik is recommending you for roles?
I have not heard of any such thing.

What kind of roles challenge you?
As an actor, it’s easy to get typecast. I would love to and have by the grace of God, been able to dabble in various genres. But I would love to do a period film.

But do you feel venturing into serious cinema would undermine your commercial success?
I’m open to doing all kinds of films. I have lots to learn before I get into serious cinema. I need to establish myself as a commercial actor before proving my mettle in serious cinema

How would you feel if you were to net a potential role from directors like Aparna Sen or Rituparno Ghosh?
I would love to work with them if the character is challenging enough and the story is interesting.

Do you see the success of a director before you ink a deal?
What matters is the script and the character. If I feel that the story is powerful enough, I would go for it. Even if a director offers me a movie with exactly five scenes or it’s a blink-and-miss role, I wouldn’t think twice before accepting it provided it’s something challenging and never been done before.

How about working with a debutant director?
It’s a subjective question. It would depend on a lot of factors like the script, characters, etc.

With Priyanka Chopra being considered the ‘it’ girl, would it be Priyanka the action girl or Priyanka the romantic actor?
I do not want to pigeon-hole myself into any cinematic frame. I would like to be known as Priyanka the actor; as someone who can play any role with ease.