15 Questions With Parineeti Chopra

Our cover girl holds a triple honours degree, collects paper bags as a hobby and loves dating under blankets

- Shweta Mehta Sen

Be very honest — what’s the best part about losing all that weight?

The clothes! Five years ago, I weighed 86 kilos and I was either wearing black or camouflaging my body and covering up because I wasn’t confident about being photographed. A lot of people tell me I’m almost unrecognizable now.

What’s the junk food you miss the most?

I haven’t given up anything. I love eating, so if I give up a particular dish, I’ll get cranky and crave it more.

If not an actor, what would you be?

An investment banker, since I’m one by qualification. I was a victim of the recession, because it was very expensive for companies to employ recent graduates, especially non-residents. So I came to India against my will, to while away time till I got the opportunity to go back. Then acting happened.

Does that make your triple honours degree useless?

Not at all. It ensures my brain doesn’t get rusty. I’m always reading about all kinds of stuff. I’ve always been academically inclined. It helps me not get too filmy and get sucked completely into this world. In Bollywood, it’s easy to lose yourself and forget about everything else. This way, I can have a balance. Also, marketing was one of my majors, and I do use that knowledge sometimes, but it’s not really that straight. Marketing yourself is an inherent talent. A degree can’t teach you how to market films.

What’s on your travel list this year?