Priyanka Chopra recalls her father’s memories

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Priyanka Chopra, whose ailing father passed away around noon on 10 June, was extremely close to him. The way, the 30-year-old actress spoke in most of her interviews, says volumes about her affections. Famous as a professional doctor and a passionate singer, Dr. Chopra was appreciated by people for being pleasant and kind even to the strangers. According to DNA, in one of her earlier interviews, Priyanka spoke fondly about her father. She said, “As a child, I loved reading. I just loved sitting on the window and reading and watching down on the streets. My dad was in the army so we were always on the move. He taught me to drive at 13 when he’d take me to school. I was very scared of driving… My dad used to be a doctor in the army until he took voluntary retirement in 1997. He’s a trained artiste, painter and singer. He used to be called the singing surgeon. He used to do shows for the army.” The actress, who had now released her first single ‘In My City’, also revealed that her immense love for singing was inherited from her father. “My dad sings, though not professionally. I’m a big fan of my father’s singing. I love singing. Ever since I was a child, I dreamt of getting in a white gown to sing on stage like Whitney Houston. I’ve been trained in Western classical singing. I used to sing soprano in a choir.” One of my earliest memories — when I was three — is of my dad on stage looking at me and singing. If he didn’t look at me while singing I’d get extremely miffed. Sometimes he used to call me on the stage to sing an African song that I knew,” she said. Despite belonging to a conservative family, Priyanka’s decision to participate in the Miss India contest was supported by her father, thus giving her a chance to prove herself. “We come from a very conservative family. All this glamour and showbiz was very new to my dad. It was my mom who told him about my plans… I wasn’t willing to talk to him about it. Initially, he wasn’t convinced. But my mom and I reasoned that it was just a holiday in Mumbai and that I didn’t stand a chance in hell of winning. Who knew?! I had never modeled before. I had my portfolio done for the first time for the pageant. I thought myself as a very ugly child. I saw myself as an ugly duckling that has one day turn into a swan. Before the pageant, I used to cry to my mom about how ugly I was. Even now, it takes 90 minutes of hair clothes and makeup to make me look decent,” she said. Recalling the great moment when she won Miss India, she praised her dad for supporting her decision to join Bollywood and shifted along with her to Mumbai. “After I won Miss India, my mom and I moved to Mumbai. Dad joined us later. And so did my brother. Dad has always been super-encouraging. We bought a house and started a clinic for mom and dad. They became practicing doctors again. He later joined Leelavati as managing director,” she said. Speaking about her father’s illness, she asserted that she was happy to be by her ailing father’s side and provide him with the best facilities and treatment. “His illness was a big blow. My dad always told me to keep working normally. I’d never let him down by letting the strain show. Now that he’s healing I feel grateful…. grateful that this trauma happened at a time when I could afford his treatment. I’m so relieved I could afford the best treatment. If it had happened two years ago I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. I’ve always believed daughters care as much as sons, if not more. And even when they get married they continue to care a lot more for their parents. My mom has several sisters and my naani stays with all of them,” she recalled.