While the world seems going upside down with Vivek and Salman trading charges, it's business as usual for Priyanka Chopra who is ready to take Bollywood by storm. Following her footsteps is none other than her colleague and Model-turned actress Lara Dutta. "Although it's still early years to start thinking about rivalry, yes, I would no doubt consider Lara Dutta my closest Bollywood rival. We both started out together in modelling and then our paths crossed again at the MissIndia contest. While I went on to win the Miss World title, Lara became Miss Universe.
By another quirk of fate we have also begun our Bollywood careers with the same movie - Andaaz. Not surprisingly we are also taking dance lessons together. So far we have proved lucky for each other," says Chopra. But despite the apparent camaraderie, the underlying tensions are clear. "Since we started out together, comparisons are natural. It will definitely pain me in case Lara is successful and I am not. And even though I wish her all the best in life, there's no way that I want to end up on the losing side." Apart from Lara, Chopra has a high opinion of other actresses too. "They are all very good at what they do. Having worked with Preity Zinta in The Hero, I know how talented she is and how well she performs before the camera."
Despite being just one film old, Chopra is confident she doesn't want to get into the item number routine. According to her: "I want to work only in films where I have a meaty role. There is no way I am going to be happy doing item numbers, even if they bring exposure. For instance I quit Raja Bhaiyya opposite Govinda when I came to know that it had nothing for me except a few song and dance numbers. I will accept all kinds of roles but they have to be meaningful."
