'Feels like collective failure when female-led films don't do well'

MUMBAI: Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Sunday said when a female-led film doesn't work, it feels like collective failure which takes all women "a few steps back".

Priyanka, who has headlined critically acclaimed women-centric Hindi films such as 'Fashion', 'Saat Khoon Maaf', and 'Mary Kom', was in conversation with actor Bhumi Pednekar at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 here.

"There's a lot of pressure when you have a female-led film, and because we have so few (of them being made). We are seeing successes of female-led films more and more, but that's tough (to happen every time). When a female-led film doesn't do well I feel the collective failure on behalf of all women. I feel we have taken them a few steps back.

"This has to work because there are a few of us who get the opportunity to do this, and we have to do it well. Whether there's a filmmaker, actors, writers or any medium, hair or make-up, you just feel… I won't let womankind down because we have such few opportunities," the 41-year-old actor said during the session.

Citing the example of 'Fashion', Priyanka recalled that naysayers had advised her against doing a female-led film in the early stages of her career. The movie, directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, turned 15 on Sunday.

"I remember I met Madhur Bhandarkar sir and that time I was told 'Ladkiyan female-oriented films apne career ke end mein karti hai for National Award' (Women work in female-oriented films towards the end of their career for a National Award). It was like, you have just started, you have done ‘Krrish’, ‘Aitraaz’, you are having your moment... This was in the early 2000s.

"I liked the script (of 'Fashion'). We were working for six months on the script. It was a passion project. We went to Goa, we worked on the character graph of (her character) Meghna Mathur, her emotional and physical journey. All I focused on was immersing myself in this girl. I realised you need to know your character, like she is your best friend before you walk on the set," she said.

The actor revealed how 'Fashion' altered her viewpoint about acting, adding she was eager to join an acting school at the time.

She learnt the tricks of the trade from Hindi cinema stalwarts such as Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur, she further said.

"After 'Fashion', I was hungry to learn formal acting. I went to Naseer sir's class, I did about 10 days with him. Then, I went to Pankaj Kapur sir, he was my neighbour. I was like, 'Can you work with me on the script?'. At that time, I was going to do 'Saat Khoon Maaf' with Vishal Bhardwaj sir.

"He (Kapur) was like, 'What work? Every answer you need is in your script'. When you do a scene, think about what your character is feeling. He is like, 'If you're feeling hot, you can bring that element to it, that's improvisation'. That's what we bring to the table as actors, apart from what the script has to offer." Priyanka, who is now based out of Los Angeles, said she hopes to build a diverse filmography in Hollywood.

In 2015, the National Award winner got a big break in the international scene with the American TV series "Quantico" and has since starred in Hollywood films such as "Baywatch", "The Matrix Resurrections" and "Love Again".

"There's a lot that I want to do in my English language work because there's a variety of work that I have done in my portfolio in India, I haven't achieved it in America.

"So, I want to expand that, and hopefully I'll be getting amazing opportunities. The second thing I want to do is, I'm at this place where I want to feel challenged. (Where) I can find something where I can sink my teeth into and do the work that I did in Hindi cinema," she said.

She also spoke about the pressure of living in the age of social media.

"We are public people, it can consume you completely. If six or a thousand people say something bad about you on Twitter, you think aapki poori zindagi kharab hai (your whole life is horrible), but it is not true. Social media is a boon and it is tough to live in the world of it.

"You can't get consumed by public opinion on social media... What's real is not the viral stories, what's real is how you make people feel when you meet them. Life is where you are born alone, you die alone. It is a solitary journey, it is your legacy that you leave behind and your legacy will be what you do and it is not who you are," she added.