I got into the movies by accident. When I got an offer, I thought, 'Let's try this, too.' Everything in my life has happened by trial and error. I didn't even think I would win the Miss India title, so where's the question of thinking I'd come this far.
I hope and look forward to the day that there will be a female president of the United States.
I do hope having done what I did, and America having accepted me the way they did, opens the door for more global talent, which should have representation in global entertainment.
A character is 2D, and then after I come in it becomes a 3D; it becomes alive.
I don't ever want to do the same character twice. Variety excites me.
I have photo shoots or commercials that I do, or things in India. It's usually a seven-day week for me. So physically it does get exhausting.
I was also told some years ago that I shouldn't 'waste my time' with female-centric films because the audience was not ready for it.
I've always been someone who's kept my private life a little private. When there's a ring on my finger, I'll talk about it.
When somebody else calls you exotic, exotic is a box - it's the stereotype of snake charmers and face jewelry. You're just that stereotype. But I don't get offended anymore. I used to get offended by things that were said to me, or how I was seen. Now I educate. If I get pissed off, I'll educate in a sassy way. Other times I educate in a Gandhi-like way. You know - I have my moods.
After reaching season two on TV series, having done a film, and receiving acknowledgment in America, I feel like now whatever I do will be on me. My choices will be mine; my disappointments will be mine.
There have been so many nations around the world that have had female leaders, including India.
I don't want to be a stereotype; I want a character that's aspirational.
I learned very early in my career that when I don't arrive on set, production will shut down, which means people won't get paid; there's that much responsibility.
I am just a hard-working 23-year-old. When Maxim asked me to be on their cover, I was quite surprised. Of course, I was happy about it.
I never had any awkward situations with Shah Rukh.
I was obsessed with Tupac - like eat, sleep, breathe Tupac. During this obsessive love affair, I dressed the part.
Every character that I play, even if it's a homemaker, there is an inherent, innate strength in her - you can find strength in every facet of a female personality. It doesn't just come from the physical strength of a woman.
There are cliques in Bollywood, and people stick together, but I have always tried to stick to my work. As an industry, Bollywood is very competitive, and I'm very competitive as a person, but I've never been a part of any clique, and I've always worked with all actors and directors, all camps.
I always advocate to young women that if we don't do this for ourselves, no one else is going to. We have to have a voice.
It's so stupid, so archaic to say that men are so stupid they'd give anything for sex, and women are...that that's the only resort we have.
I don't think a lot of people in America understand what Indians are. And that's our fault, a little. We tend to forget our roots a bit. As kids we think, If I'm too Indian, I'll be put in a box, and people will think of me as different. They'll think I'm weird, because I eat Indian food or my name is difficult to pronounce.
I did not want to be the stereotype of either Bollywood or what Indian actors are usually offered. The exotic, beautiful girl, or the academically inclined nerd. And I wanted to play a lead... I didn't settle for less.
I'm not American, but I do have an opinion, and I think that right now, it is what it is, and I think the country needs to come together to say: What is the America we want to create right now? The same thing will happen on television now going forward if we do have a female president. It will be something that will be discussed.
If my film does not do well, it really hurts me. But by God's grace, even if some of my films may not have done well, people have still liked my work in it.
As a musician, I know that it'll take time for me to get to the ranks of an established artiste. Nevertheless, I'm very happy that people are appreciating my music.
