Almost three years after her last film Kill/Dil, Parineeti Chopra returns this Friday with Meri Pyaari Bindu. Set and shot largely in Calcutta, the Yash Raj film that marks the directorial debut of Akshay Roy has Parineeti in the role of an aspiring singer called Bindu Shankar Narayan and her neighbour Abhimanyu Roy, played by Ayushmann Khurrana. Coming in with sizeable buzz, the youth film about relationships also has Parineeti making her singing debut with Maana ke hum yaar nahin.... A t2 chat.

Meri Pyaari Bindu is looking very good. A lot of our readers had written in saying this is one film they are looking forward to the most…

How sweet! It’s very, very, very, very nice to hear something like this. Thanks so much to your readers!

With so much interest around the film, what are you feeling right now?

It’s making me very nervous, ya! I just want that we match up to the expectations of the audience. The audience means everything to me. The film is not only made for us, it’s made for them and the fact that they are expecting so much out of it, makes me nervous. But I hope I deliver!

Honestly, I feel the ‘Chapters’ (the trailer of the film was released in five instalments, called Chapters, instead of a single trailer) have been received really, really well. We haven’t gone down the path of releasing one big theatrical trailer. People found the Chapters to be really different and that is what we were hoping for. It’s made us very positive and confident, but then we will have to wait till the film comes out.

Bindu seems a lot like you and yet playing Bindu seems to be adding a new dimension to your acting. Is there anything about Bindu that makes you wish you were like her?

No, not at all! (Laughs) I think Bindu is a great character for the film and for me to play, but I wouldn’t want to be like her because she’s a bit of an irresponsible girl. She wants to try out new things every day, but she doesn’t go through with any. She doesn’t complete her relationships, she doesn’t live in the same city… she just keeps moving, she can’t keep a job… she’s quite a crazy girl, actually.

On the other hand, I am someone who likes to keep things organised in life. I am a bit of a planner, I think things through and I mostly start things with the intention of finishing them or seeing them through. Bindu is definitely not someone I aspire to be. But I relate to her in the sense that she loves music and singing, just like me. Also, her energy is something I totally relate to.

Talking of music, congratulations for your singing debut… Maana ke hum yaar nahin has become very popular. Does that encourage you to pursue an alternative career in singing?

You know, one can always make out when the compliments are genuine and when they are not! (Laughs) With this song, I have realised that the positive feedback is coming in not because I have sung it but because people have really liked it… it’s evident from the words and the language that people are using to praise the song. It’s such an awesome feeling to see that the song has become such a huge hit… it’s playing wherever I go… so many people have written in saying how much they like it… it’s more than what I had hoped for and I will definitely continue singing.

In the ‘Chapters’, the neighbourly vibe between Bindu and Abhimanyu is fun and relatable. When you were growing up in Ambala, did you forge friendships with your neighbours and have they endured?

Not really, to be honest. My biggest friendships actually happened during my college years. I went outside the country — I went to Manchester for college — and that’s where I really made friends who I spent some fun times with. I have forged friendships and relationships during that time that are strong even today. Before that when I was growing up in Ambala, I was very studious and a bit of an introvert and I didn’t really have much of a social life!

It’s been almost three years since Kill/ Dil. What does your gut tell you about Meri Pyaari Bindu?

It will be too much of a mental burden if I think about what this film will do for my career. In that case, I will be constantly stressed. I just hope that when the film releases, people respect the film, they respect my performance. More than anything, I hope they love the film and connect with the characters. What the audience will get to see in Bindu is a part of every person’s life. I am sure they will relate to some part of the film.

This was your first time shooting in Calcutta. Now that we have seen in the Chapters that Calcutta forms an integral part of the film, do you think Meri Pyaari Bindu could have been set anywhere else?

Yes, this was my first time shooting in Calcutta, though I have been there scores of times for a lot of events. And Calcutta, for sure, is the third character of our film. Abhimanyu and Bindu are nothing without Calcutta… the film is so much about their love for the food, the music and the culture of Calcutta. When you watch the film, you will realise how beautifully the city has been captured on camera. Calcutta is such a large part of Bindu… Abhimanyu is a Bengali and so the set-up couldn’t have been anywhere else. But later in their lives, they move to Bombay and Bombay also forms a large part of their lives. But ya, I can’t imagine the film being set in any city other than Calcutta.

What are your fondest memories of that month in May 2016 that you spent in Calcutta? You did put up some fun pictures of eating out after shoot…

Unfortunately, by the time I landed up to shoot in Calcutta, I had gone on a strict diet. But every day, we would be sent a lot of food to our rooms that we would enjoy a lot! I used to indulge sometimes, but of course, discipline was very important. And yes, now that you mention pictures, I remember those amazing noodles I had on the streets of Calcutta (Parineeti dropped in for a bite at Yummy Bites near New Market). I got very gutsy and decided to go out with my team. We went to this place where there was this street-side shop selling noodles. We took pictures of the guy… he got really happy when I told him I am going to make him famous on social media! It was a lot of fun… I also dropped in at a few other places (Parineeti picked up lemon tarts from Kookie Jar, Rawdon Street, and dropped into Sienna Cafe at Hindustan Park for a cuppa). The best thing about Meri Pyaari Bindu was that it had a really good set of people to work with. The crew really bonded and we had an awesome time making this film together.

Finally, Australia to Istanbul to Dubai… you’ve been giving us some serious #Travelgoals over the last one year. So where’s Parineeti headed to next?

I am definitely travelling after Meri Pyaari Bindu releases… I have a few days of shoot (for Golmaal Again) and then I will take off… I need to take a break. Where I am going is a secret (laughs)… no, no, I’m just joking! I still don’t know where I am going, but I am sure there is a holiday on the horizon soon! (Laughs)  

Priyanka Roy