Priyanka Chopra ready to rock

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Must be some mistake. The person I'm expecting to interview is Miss World, Priyanka Chopra.
I've assumed that she'll appear with a golden glow emanating from her perfectly done hair. That she'll be dressed in a Hemant Trivedi creation and dazzle me with her diamantes.
The woman who emerges from her bedroom to sit opposite me wears a simple white churidaar-kurta. Sure she dazzles me. But with her radiant smile. She wears no make-up, puts on no airs. Her flowing tresses enhance her finely chiselled face. A face that won her the Miss World title last year. A face that's getting her smart scripts this year. The scales are surely dipping in her favour. She's already signed movies with directors like Abbas-Mustan, Priyadarshan, Mahesh Manjrekar. And talks are on with Rajkumar Santoshi, Indra Kumar and Mani Ratnam Productions.
Rightaway she says, "I begin work next month. I'm raring to go. But I'm also nervous. Because the general opinion is that models can't act. I want to prove everyone wrong."

Then the thought strikes her that she isn't exactly a model. She exclaims, "You know the first time I walked on the ramp was for Miss India! I didn't know a thing about modelling or showbiz before that."
Priyanka who was sschooling in Boston had just returned to her hometown of Rai Bareilly when she got the call for the Femina Miss India pageant. She recalls, "Actually, I was preparing hard for my 12th standard exams. Besides, I had applied for a scholarship in Australia. I wanted to become an engineer. "I remember my prelims had got over that day. And I was watching Mera Naam Joker just to relax for a while. The phone rang. I picked it up. And they told me that I'd been selected for the first round of Miss India. I was zapped. I thought they had got the wrong number. I didn't even know that my mom had sent my pix for the competition."
The preliminary round whizzed by. She felt terribly awkward in the bikini round. She laughs, "I was the first to go in. I was so uncomfortble in the bikini. And then they made me turn around. I wanted to die because there were six of them looking me up and down. Mr Pradeep Guha was there. But I had no clue about who he was. Anyway, I was among the six girls chosen for the Miss India competition from Delhi."
Getting into a talkative mode, Priyanka states, "I was fairly confident of myself after that. But when Lara Dutta walked into the room, I died. She had such an aura about her and unmatched style. There was a buzz about her from the first day itself. That day I mentally said bye to the Miss India title. There was no way anyone could win with her in the competition. She's so good." Priyanka's most memorable moment of the Miss India competition is the camaraderie she shared with the other contestants. And of course Shah Rukh Khan. She grins sheepishly, "My day was made when I picked him to ask me a question. My cousins who were in the audience were sure I'd swoon. I'm such a die-hard fan of his. Later, at the photo-shoot with him, I was tongue-tied. I was nervous. He still teases me about that."
The phone rings. In fact, it's never silent for long these days. A bank wants her to open an account with it. She rolls her luminous eyes and declines politely. Continuing with her narration she says, "Mr Guha was there to guide us throughout. Lara, Diya and I bonded well. In fact, we looked upto Lara. She became our friend, philosopher and guide. She'd give us tips on make-up, what to wear and and how to behave as Miss Indias. When she won the Miss Universe title, I was on top of the world."

And then preparations began for the Miss World title. She went through the usual rigours of diet, exercise and meditation. She recalls, "When I saw the girls at the pageant, I told my mom let's go home. They were all so gorgeous. And then when I saw that Zee was sponsoring it, my heart nearly sank. I thought there was no way I could win it. When I saw Hemant Trivedi in the judges list, I just bid goodbye to the title. "
Ask her about the by-now famous goof-up she made in the final round and she says seriously, "Believe me, I didn't hear the `living' bit. Jerry Springer just ate up that word. Or probably I was too nervous to hear it.
"If I'd heard the question correctly (Which living woman do you admire the most?), I'd have said I admire Hillary Clinton the most for standing by her family. I didn't name Mother Teresa because it was the politically correct thing to do. I mentioned her because I'd met her thrice. I'd studied in a missionary school. And I've been visiting charity homes since I was eleven." Priyanka remembers how the press took off on her after the pageant for giving the wrong answer. "That took away the shine of the title somewhat," she sighs. "Everyone said the title had been rigged. There were a lot of nasty things written. Some said how could they have Hemant Trivedi on the panel. That was sad because no one questioned the other judges whose countrymates were contesting. And believe me, of all the judges, Hemant gave me the least marks.
"When I spoke to Jerry Springer about the results he told me that one answer didn't alter the result. They had been watching the girls closely for the last 30 days. And I was certainly the best."
Right now, Priyanka is waiting to begin her second innings. Film offers are pouring in. Rajkumar Santoshi wants her to do a film with Shah Rukh Khan. "There's a lot of pressure," the Miss World admits. "People are just waiting to find faults." But there are no grooves of concern in her countenance. Already rumours have started circulating that she's charging a whopping fee. Priyanka shrugs her shoulders, "See, I'm not into the movies to make money. I come from a well-to-do family. But that doesn't mean I'm here for charity. I charge as much as I'm worth as Miss World. Not a penny more, not a penny less."