You'd think an interview with Priyanka Chopra, fresh from the back-to-back successes of the super-glitzy "Fashion" and "Dostana", would be all about the glamour. Instead, the words that pop up most often during the chat are `comfort' and `family'. Followed by `confidence' and `composure'. The former Miss World is every inch the grounded professional as she sits down on a rainy Chennai afternoon to talk about what it's like to be Priyanka right now. Here's a hint - if you're looking for a star whose head has been turned by success, she's probably not your best bet. 

What's the best thing about any sort of success? She shrugs: "It feels great that you're appreciated, that something you've put your blood and soul into has been accepted. Every movie has its own destiny, and I'm very happy these two did well." 

Miami memories 
What does make her face light up is the memory of the days spent in sunny Miami, shooting with John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan for "Dostana". "Oh my God, we were such beach bums," she says, laughing. "We would just sit down on the footpath between shots, have a drink, talk or walk into the store opposite. It wasn't like shooting at all - it was like a vacation!" Ah, we should all have vacations like that. Add in the fact that she had family to hang out with there too, and she was a happy camper. "Oh, I have family everywhere, anywhere I go in the world, including Chennai," the actor says with a smile. "I'm very, very close to my extended family - both maternal and paternal." 

Style statement 
It wasn't family that brought her to Chennai though - she was here in her role of brand ambassador for luxury watch company Tag Heuer. She's generally pretty hot property as a style icon these days, but her own personal style mantra, again, is very down-to-earth. "I think style is comfort, it's a very personal statement," she says. "If I'm not comfortable in something, I will not wear it because, then, I can't be confident. 

And that comfort, for her, lies in simplicity. "I'm very subtle in my tastes - for me, less is more," she explains. "Even in terms of accessorising, I'll probably wear a very small pair of earrings, maybe a ring and my watch - that's all." 

When she's not hanging out with family or working, Priyanka's favourite way to unwind is curled up in her study with her books, preferably in tracks and a t-shirt. 

"I like some `me-time', alone, by myself," she says. "I'm a voracious reader. right now, I'm reading Linda Goodman's book on star signs." 

That, however, is not strictly for unwinding - it's actually research for one of her upcoming movies, "What's Your Raashi?" 

Although fans won't get to see her on screen next until March 2009, the actor is currently shooting for two movies - this one and "Kaminay".  "I'm going to be very different from what you've seen so far in these two films," she promises. "That's a conscious decision - I want to be able to do something different with each film I do."  Clearly, that decision sometimes pays off - as with "Fashion" and "Dostana" - and sometimes doesn't - as with her superhero misadventure "Drona" and the sci-fi romance "Love Story 2050" earlier this year. But one thing you can count on - this actor will probably stay pretty grounded through it all.

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