I will protect my sisters in Bollywood, says Priyanka

Mumbai: Actress Priyanka Chopra says while there was no one to support her when she entered Bollywood, she will help her cousins make a mark in the film industry.

"It has been a great journey till now. When I came here into the film business there was no one to support or back me or help me. I was not from film industry, I was alone. Now that I am here I will protect them (other Chopra sisters)," Priyanka said in an interview here. "I will make sure I am there for them. It warms my heart to see my cousins coming here," she said. Priyanka`s cousins Parineeti Chopra, Meera Chopra and Barbie Handa are trying to make a mark in Bollywood. Despite having no formal training in acting, Priyanka has proved herself with her performances in `Aitraaz`, `Fashion`, `Don`, `Krrish`, `Barfi!` and others. Priyanka says she tried method acting but got bored. "I am spontaneous. I haven`t learnt acting process so my style is different. If I do research I do it for 2-3 months and forget it," she said. The actress had a setback in June this year when her father Dr Ashok Chopra passed away, but she resumed work soon. "My work has been my biggest supporting factor... I have been working since the age of 17. After three days of my father`s demise I had started working, as I feel if you work you forget things and that is better for me," she said. Coincidentally, `Zanjeer` is Priyanka`s third Amitabh Bachchan remake after `Don` and `Agneepath`. "It is a big coincidence I did not plan it. I feel fortunate as I am a big fan of him. I can`t play Amitabh Bachchan on screen. So being part of his remakes is the closest that I can get to him," she said. In the remake, Priyanka will be seen stepping in the shoes of Jaya Bachchan. But, her role is different. "My character has changed completely, only the name is same - Mala. In the film I come from New York, she is an NRI. She is a big fan of Bollywood films and feels by watching Hindi films she knows everyone in India. She comes to India to attend a wedding and happens to witness a murder and that is how Vijay (Ram Charan) comes in her life," she said. The film had been embroiled in controversy after scriptwriters Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar filed a suit in Bombay High Court claiming they had copyrights over the script, story and dialogues of the 1973 blockbuster `Zanjeer`. They demanded Rs six crore as monetary compensation from the kin of Prakash Mehra (who made the original movie) for remaking the film. The High Court yesterday refused to stay the release of the film. "It has been a difficult journey for `Zanjeer` remake. We are grateful that we had Mr Amitabh Bachchan`s blessings. It feels good. But it is upsetting and unfortunate when unnecessary controversies come up," Priyanka said, adding that the producers would be the right people to talk more about it. The remake is directed by Apoorva Lakhia and will see Ram Charan playing the role of Big B. Sanjay Dutt plays the role of Sher Khan, earlier essayed by Pran. The film, also starring Prakash Raj and Mahie Gill, releases on September 6. PTI