Priyanka turns into proxy director

Indian actress & Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra, at the Filmfare Magazine launch in Mumbai, October 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All actors are proxy directors. Sunny Deol, the three big Khans - Aamir, Salman, Shah Rukh; Arshad Warsi, the list is long-winding. However, most heroines, with the exception perhaps of a few, are happy to do their jobs and go home.


In her heydays, Sridevi used to ask a lot of questions on the sets. Now Priyanka Chopra does it. In recent times, two units that directed her; one for the IPL opening in Chennai and the other for an awards night in Mumbai found her 'involvement' stifling them.


Says a respected show co-ordinator (on conditions of anonymity) that while Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and others came, performed and left, Priyanka's act was tough for them because of her constant interference.


Says our source, "PC has an entourage of six to seven people all of who have a point of view. What's more, Priyanka herself knows a lot about lighting; prop placement, etc. So it hinders progress. She constantly wants to know how much light her face will take; where the backlight is going to hit; how the chorus should appear, etc. She insists of proxy directing every single shot.''


The same co-ordinator says, "We admit the devil lies in the detail. Even Amitabh Bachchan, who is the epitome of professionalism, performed at the same event. However, he made it a point to rehearse two full days in advance because he didn't want any glitches. But for PC everything has to be instant.''


In all fairness we add that Priyanka has terrific gyaan on cinema and perhaps even stage shows. In casual conversations, she has confessed that she will turn director someday. This then could be just be the preliminary preparation for her big turn.