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Priyanka Chopra Addresses the Audience at Penguin Annual Lecture 2017

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Amid an audience of hundreds of people, Priyanka Chopra arrived at the Siri Fort Auditorium to deliver her lecture for the 11th edition of the Annual Penguin Lecture, hosted by Penguin Random House India. She was welcomed with a thunderous round of applause and loud hooting.

Ms. Chopra began her lecture by questioning the very definition of ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ and how it is a definition only directed towards women. She emphasised that she never wanted to break the glass ceiling but was only chasing her dreams. She also said that she wanted to become an engineer once, but her life took a different path and she never stopped setting more goals for herself henceforth.

As was her topic, she made 12 points on ‘PC’s rules for becoming a better version of yourself’.  Being fearless was the first point because often people do not chase their dreams out of fears. “You are never too old or too experienced to learn something new”, Ms. Chopra added.

She went from wanting to become an aeronautical engineer to being an actor, singer, producer, and philanthropic by making right choices for herself. Making the right choices for oneself was her second point.

“Opportunities are a funny thing. They don’t come very often. They come far and very few in between but our job is to recognise them and grab them”. The actor spoke of the opportunity when she was called to LA (to attend the Grammy Awards) a day after the premier of Don 2 at the Berlin Film Festival. Everybody around her discouraged from taking on this impossible journey but she charted out a plan for herself and accomplished it.

“I want to have the whole cake and eat it too all by myself”, Priyanka said, and added that to achieve one’s dreams, one must be greedy and never compromise. “Don’t let anyone or any situation dictate to you who you are and who you can be”.

Priyanka Chopra said that she puts in 200% into her work but once she fails, she gets up, dusts herself off and dives into life once again. She encouraged the audience to be bold and rake risks. She took major risks in her life by playing a negative role and women-centric roles early in her career, and even by taking up work in the US while at the top of her career in India. Each time the risks were career-ending but her gamble was worth it and invested with her heart and soul in her work.

“No matter what you do, someone will always be unhappy”. She added that new age technology has given everyone the right to express their opinions by hiding behind the veil of anonymity but one must never listen to those voices.

During the interview with Sonia Singh of NDTV, Priyanka Chopra opened up about being bullied during high school in the US. She was addressed as a ‘brownie’ because of her skin color. She revealed that she was thrown out of films in Bollywood because of the actor’s or director’s girlfriend but she never compromised with her position.

Priyanka Chopra’s biggest dream is to leave a legacy behind. Ranked 97, she entered the Forbes’ list of the 100 most Powerful Women this year.

On being asked about the Padmavati controversy, she commented that the entire crew has her support but questioned why only actors are asked for her opinions and not politicians.

She put the speculations to rest that she hasn’t been chosen as the bridesmaid by Meghan Markel yet but she wishes happiness for the royal couple.

Priyanka Chopra had to leave for Virat and Anushka’s reception in Mumbai, but before she left, the audience gave her a standing ovation and some even showered her with gifts like bouquets, paintings, and collages. Her lecture left the audience inspired to take on the world by being bold and fierce risk-takers.

 

Feature Image Credits: In.Com

Prachi Mehra

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

The King is Surely Back

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Don 2

MOVIE REVIEW

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan. Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta, Kunal Kapoor, Om Puri

Music– Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Direction: Farhan Akhtar

Rating: 4/5

 

Sleek, Stylish, Sexy. Don 2 is all of this.

When the promos claimed ‘The King is Back’, you couldn’t help but expect a lot of thrills and chills from this sequel of the 2006 hit. While the prequel itself had some cool twists besides some shoddy writing, it certainly gave a hint of a sequel in the end. And in Don 2, there is a furthermore indication (through a bike’s number plate) that there indeed will be a Don 3.

But how is Don 2? Well, in one word, it’s thrilling. In spite of a certain number of flaws, Don 2 works because it has the elements of suspense and surprise that a thriller should have. And whenever the screenplay dips and gets boring, there is always a man who comes in to the rescue: SRK. A word on him later!

After capturing the South East Asia, Don has his eyes set on Europe where he plans to rob the leading bank in Berlin. To accomplish his plan, he surrenders first and is thrown in a jail in Bangkok. Partnering with Vardhan, he escapes the jail and begins implementing his devilish plans. Some may say that the plot resembles Ocean’s Eleven or the MI series, but one cannot deny that some portions of the movie, especially the last hour matches Hollywood. The action and chase sequences, the twists and turns may not be too many but they certainly make their presence felt.

No doubt the first half takes its own time in unraveling and also gets a tad monotonous at times. But the film’s latter part surely makes up for it. The final hour is so spectacular that it keeps you on the edge of the seat and doesn’t give you much time to think. You remain gasping as Don conquers his enemies and wins over you, too.

Of the cast, well, it’s a one man show. Shah Rukh Khan is in an absolutely supreme form as he charms one and all with the magnetic yet wicked Don. He looks dapper and sexy in all the looks and literally steals the show with his smirk and his quick-witted one liners.

Priyanka Chopra doesn’t look a cop, though she is suitably restrained. Boman Irani is potent as Vardhan and looks menacing enough. Kunal Kapoor’s short role is adorable and he springs a pleasant surprise. Lara Dutta and Om Puri are just average while the latter is completely wasted. Hrithik’s cameo is okay but he certainly didn’t infuse the same charm as SRK.

Music by S-E-L is strictly average. I won’t blame him as a film like this had to have minimum songs. Though, I liked the song in the end credits.

For Farhan, the film could’ve been better especially in the first half. He ought to have stayed away from depending so much on Shah Rukh. But to be honest, keeping the lazy writing aside, credit has to be given to him for making such a stylized and sleek product.

The film will definitely garner a better response both from the viewers and the Box Office than Ra.One.

I am going with 4 stars out of five for Farhan Akhtar’s, or should I say SRK’s, Don 2. The film is a hell of a ride in the second half and a Shah Rukh Khan show all the way.

Watch Don 2 and end the year with a blast!

 

Chaitanya Sharma
[email protected]

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