You’ve moved from a finance/economics background to interning with Yash Raj Films and now acting. How was the career shift?
I have taken that step because I wanted to. The obvious choice for me after my sister (cousin Priyanka Chopra) became a successful actress was becoming an actress, which would be the easiest thing to do. I use to think acting was easy. You just had to look pretty, the camera switches on and you just have to say these three dialogues and go back home and everything is hunky dory.

But I had misunderstood acting because I never knew what actors did. I always wanted to be an investment banker and that’s why I studied business and everything was fine. But when I worked with Yash Raj and with the actors every day, I got to observe them. And after observing them for a year and a half I realised what they did was really interesting and I wanted to do it too.

I was a little more confident because I knew my sister was there and all I had to is just pick up the phone and ask her if I didn’t know anything. It’s a huge shift. But now I look back and think, why did I ever want to be anything else than an actor.I feel I wasted those three years studying finance. Instead, I should have studied films.

Being an actor, I missed out on the technical know-how that Arjun Kapoor has due to his experience. Films come very naturally to him. Cinema was a far away ‘thing’ for me. I went ballistic when I saw Anil Kapoor. For me he is ‘Lakhan’, the actor that I have seen on the TV or theatres and for Arjun, it is very normal. He has grown up in such a different environment. I have grown up in a normal house. For us, films were something unreal.

Can you tell us more about Ishaqzaade?
Parma and Zoya are animals who are born to hate each other. They roam around with guns with an intention to kill each other. There comes a point where they are face-to-face and Parma realises that she’s exactly like me and she thinks the same and they fall in love. But they’re not supposed to fall in love, because it’s a small town where relationships, boyfriends, girlfriends, love are all taboo. The song Pareshaan depicts exactly what they feel. That ‘why the hell am I falling in love with him?’

What has your first film taught you?
One important lesson is that there is absolutely no substitute for hard work. In this film, there was no shortcut to even a small dialogue. It had largely to do with the director’s style of film-making that you have to be prepared, knowledgeable and understand what you’re doing before you do it. You’re not just saying the dialogue because it’s in the film or not just doing the scenes because you’re supposed to do it. We knew exactly what we were doing as characters, what our motivation was while we were standing, and why we were wearing what we were wearing.

Another advantage was the kind of discipline that Habib Sir has instilled in us, with reference to preparation for a character, what he’s wearing, what he is saying, the language he is talking in, why is the actors’ hair is the way it is supposed to be. Now, wherever we go to shoot a film, it’ll be natural for us to be so prepared and disciplined, so that when we go on the set, it won’t be just about speaking the dialogue. It will always be with homework.

What is the idea of small-town India that you had before doing this film?
I’m from Ambala (Haryana). I was born and brought up there for 17 years of my life. But then I went abroad to study. So I am basically from a small town.

In today’s cinema there are many women-centric films being made. Do you feel pressurised by it?
Not at all.I’m not only speaking as a woman but I am speaking as an actor who wants to act. I am very glad that we are at a stage where the audience has a bigger stomach for different kind of films. Today, I don’t have to be launched in a Rs50-crore film and looking my best in just 5 songs. I can be launched in a film like Ladies vs Ricky Bahl and follow it by Ishaqzaade, and I hope that people think that I am a good actor. And I don’t think Arjun is threatened by that, because he himself is playing an important character. So, the fun is that both of us have got amazing roles.

How has Priyanka Chopra helped you in this path?
She is the best person you can have in your life. She has all the answers since she has been here for so long.She has done everything that she could. So if I need to ask anything, I don’t even have to think, I just have to call her. Even morally, it’s a big thing to have somebody who will back you up if you ever fail.

Do you have the Friday jitters?
I’m dying of nervousness. But now we’re done with all these jitters. We can’t wait any more and we just want the film to be out.

You swept the awards last year as Dimple in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. What are you expecting from Ishaqzaade?
During Ricky Bahl… I didn’t think about the awards because I was so excited about being an actor and during Ishaqzaade, I didn’t get the time to think about anything. I don’t even know what goes into the criteria of nomination, so how can I predict whether I will get an award or not. I hope Arjun does.