The new blue-eyed girl: Parineeti Chopra

Bollywood's rising star Parineeti Chopra is now accustomed to following a certain morning ritual. The moment she wakes up, the 23-year-old actress, who made a stellar debut with Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, rushes to hug and kiss her most prized possessions — the eight trophies that she has scooped over the last few months. "Tell me, how many people get all the awards at every award function they attend and that too — for a person who never thought she will be an actor?" said Chopra in an exclusive interview with tabloid!. Just imagine! And I would be lying if I said I was not happy — I am just speechless and I go ballistic each time I hear my name." The first cousin to Bollywood A-lister Priyanka Chopra, this Harayana-born actress brands herself an "accidental actor". She was all set to become an investment banker and boasts a management degree from Manchester Business School. But number-crunching and coming up with marketing strategies didn't hold a candle next to being under the arclights and having a devoted fan following. All my life I was gearing up to be a banker. I know I had a sister in Bollywood and everybody told me that I should also become a heroine because she's a heroine. I didn't want to do that. But it was only when I returned to India, worked with the Yash Raj Marketing department that I began noticing actors at close range. That's when I thought it may be something I want to do and pursued it." Though her reasons for joining acting are tenuous, her burgeoning trophy cabinet is a testament to her prowess as an actor. Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl may not have been the biggest hit of 2011, but her performance in the drama as a bloodthirsty, revenge-seeking jilted lover was one of the strong points in an otherwise lacklustre film. She played the rich, gullible Delhi brat Dimple Chaddha to perfection. When I walk on the streets these days I hear — ‘arre, apap tho Dimple hai na' [Hey, aren't you Dimple?]. That is a bigger compliment than being called by name — it's then I feel as I have done something right," she said. As a nod to her performance, she has won all the debut awards this season including Filmfare Awards, Zee Cine Awards in Macau, Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild, Stardust and Screen Awards. But she claims that she's nothing like her onscreen character. Stamp of approval "I am not this spoilt rich brat — you know — just senseless. Yes I was born in Ambala [in Haryana] so it was easy to speak like Dimple. Nothing else was easy — But everybody feels that I played myself in the film. The fact about acting is that you are always somebody else, occupying somebody else's mind and wearing costumes that you don't normally wear. You have inhibitions that you need to get rid of." She may have grappled with the role, but the stamp of approval from her influential and successful cousin Priyanka made it easier. "She is my chaddi buddy [childhood mate]. Before the release of Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl, there was a special screening and didi [sister] was there. And after she saw the film, she hugged me for five minutes, not letting me go and that's when I thought I was going to be OK." She is not resting on her laurels either as she embarks on her next project, Ishaqzaade with Arjun Kapoor — son of Boney Kapoor and stepson of Sridevi. Like her debut film, her second project is produced by Yash Raj Films. It is tipped to release in May. "Ishaqzaade will show me in a role that is completely different from Dimple. Without conceit, I can say that this film — my solo lead — will have one of my finest performances, all thanks to Habib sir [Faisal, director]." Set in rural India, her second outing is billed as a turbulent love story between a star-crossed couple who belong to two warring clans. "I still can't believe that all these good things are happening to me. I feel like a stone rolling down the hill and I am just rolling. I have even cried when people from the industry have come up to me and said amazing things about me. For many it takes five or six films to get this kind of recognition. But in my case it all happened with one film."