Parineeti wants her own identity, like Kareena, Ranbir

Parineeti Chopra loves Priyanka Chopra, but is somewhat wary of her star cousin’s name being mentioned every time she is being discussed.

Parineeti now wants her own identity.

“I am proud to be Priyanka’s sister. But I want to be known for myself, the way Ranbir Kapoor is known although he is Kareena Kapoor’s cousin,” said Parineeti who has been part of two hits “Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl” and “Ishaqzaade”.

“I don’t want to be called only Priyanka’s sister. I want to be as good as her. People should say Priyanka and Parineeti are both fabulous actors,” she added.

However, she clarifies that she doesn’t see Priyanka as competition at all.

“How can Priyanka be my rival? She is been here so much longer,” she said.

Apart from acting, another common trait between them is that like Priyanka, Parineeti too is a trained singer. The former made her singing debut through international music single “In My City”.

“It runs in the family. My dad and Priyanka’s dad are brothers. They used to sing together on stage. And when Priyanka and I were kids, we performed on stage together. So yeah, I love singing. If I get a chance to make a dream singing debut like Priyanka, I’d grab it. Maybe later. And I also love reading. But most of all I like sleeping. That’s when I regain all my energy. Then I go out and act.”

For her, self-discipline is a precondition.

“I was a focussed student in school and college. I want to continue that way as an actress,” she said.

As for stardom, Parineeti rejects it at the moment.

“I am not a star at all! Stardom comes after years of work. It doesn’t happen with two films. Let me get a solid seven-eight years of work done before we talk of stardom for me. I’m just lucky to be here at a time when audiences are willing to watch newcomers.

“Yeah, I do enjoy being recognised on the streets. If that didn’t happen, I’d be really depressed. My aim is to be known by everyone who sees films. I don’t want any viewer to ask, ‘Parineeti who?’ I am here for a very long time,” she said. – IANS

Kareena Kapoor showstopper for Lakme Fashion Week 2013

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor has been named showstopper for the second consecutive year for Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013. She will flaunt creations by Namrata Joshipura who is the grand finale designer.

The five-day fashion festival will start here March 22.

“Yes, Kareena, being the brand ambassador of Lakme, will be walking the ramp for the finale. She is quite excited about it,” said Purnima Lamba, Head Innovations Lakme.

Kareena tied the knot with Saif Ali Khan last year and Lamba added he may join the audience in the front row.

“Saif is busy with his shoots, so he might come to admire her, but since the show is more to do with women, so he might not walk the ramp,” she said.

As the finale designer, Joshipura plans to display a blend of contemporary and modern designs on the ramp.

“I had an interaction with Kareena and my focus would be to keep her look quite close to the essence of the show, which is contemporary modern,” she said.

A day before the event, designer Tarun Tahiliani will have an off-site show.

As many as 87 designers including six Gen Next designers will participate in the event, which will see renowned designers like Bhairavi Jaikishan, Vikram Phadnis, Masaba Gupta, Manish Malhotra, Nishika Lulla and Rocky S showcasing a plethora of designs and colours on the ramp.

Lakme Fashion week Summer Resort 2013 has also come up with unique show ‘Swadesh’ to be prsented by Phadnis and it will speak about rural India.

“Swadesh is here to change the attitude of rural India,” he said adding that it will be a surprise and “you all will miss a lot if you miss the show. I can assure you that it will be something that’s unexpected”.