I wanted to make Roma my own
CINEMAINTERVIEW/PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Back from
shooting high-action sequences for Don 2 in Germany to the streets of
Mumbai for Agneepath, Priyanka Chopra talks about what it takes to act
in a remake.
What is the first thought that comes to your mind when offered roles in cult movie remakes? It
is pretty much the same thought that comes to my mind when I am
approached for any film. What is the story and what is my character. In
these two instances, I knew the films, but I hadn't really seen them. So
for me at that time, I didn't look at them as movies that have already
been done. So I also didn't have any additional pressure of having to
step into somebody else's shoes. I just saw them as films whose stories I
really liked.
You hadn't seen Don and Agneepath before you signed for the remakes?Quite
honestly, I had not seen them earlier. I only saw them right before I
started work on the remakes. I grew up watching films like Dilwale
Dulhania Le Jayenge and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
Your
character in Agneepath is a newly sketched one. But did you depend on
reference points from the original character for Don? Especially since
Roma was played by someone as stunning as Zeenat Aman.You can't
really step into the shoes of someone as awesome as Zeenat Aman. What I
attempted was to make Roma completely my own while retaining the essence
of the character. In Don 2, I have taken that one step further and
brought in a lot more of my own inspirations and thoughts of how I
wanted her to go forward with the new script.
Often, stars
are synonymous with the characters which they have painstakingly created
over months of rehearsals and fitness regimes. In which case, isn't it
taking away from the bond the two share by coming up with a remake?No,
I don't think so. When you're doing a remake, the only thing similar is
the story of the film and not necessarily the characters. Most often
than not, the scenes are never replicated in exactly the same way as the
original. There is a fresh thought that is added. That applies to the
actor and the character as well.
Moving on to your role in
Agneepath, it is completely different from the one Madhavi essayed in
the original. The only similarity would be their love for Vijay Dinanath
Chauhan. How does it feel when you are on the sets and most of your
co-stars have a reference point to their characters while you don't?It
is great because then I'm involved in the creation of a character. And
then, I don't think anybody on this film really has a reference point
because all the characters, even though they come from a film like
Agneepath, are being conceived and executed very differently. I don't
think that there are any similarities that we are taking as a character,
except for the plot point and the story.
