Manushi Chhillar: I Wouldn't Have Been Noticed by Yash Raj Films Had I Not Been a Miss World | Exclusive

Manushi Chhillar, who was crowned Miss World 2017, is all set to make her acting debut with Yash Raj Films’ Prithviraj, featuring Akshay Kumar in the title role. Helmed by Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, the movie will feature Manushi playing the role of Sanyogita, wife of Prithiviraj.

In an exclusive interview with News18.com, the debutante talks about the platform provided by Yash Raj Films, why acting wasn’t something that she was pursuing actively and how she is dealing with the pressure of her first film.

After winning the Miss World (2017), was acting a natural progression?

Not really. I’ve grown up in a very different environment. I’ve been surrounded by friends and family and everyone else who naturally believed the natural progression was that you go to a professional college to study to become a doctor or lawyer or an engineer. And, of course, you get a job when you work. At the same time, I was always very clear in my head that I’m not the kind of person who cannot do a nine to five job. So I wanted to create my own space.

Miss World was something which always attracted me, you know, I always felt that this is an experience that I want to have in my life. I had to give one year to it and in the past, we’ve had women representing the country who have been medical professionals. But I was clear that I had to finish my education and practice as a doctor. Also, I didn’t have any contacts in the industry so for me it was rather doing something which I am best at. Becoming an actor was not even on my mind. But destiny has a big role to play. The power of choice is something very few people get in their life. Because of the platform that I had and the opportunities that I had in front of me, I had the power to choose. Also my parents supported me and told me to give acting a chance and if it doesn’t work out, I always have options to fall back on.

But I am assuming that you must be flooded with offers immediately after you become Miss World.

There was always a talk of becoming an actor ever since I was Miss India but at that time I was clear that I was preparing for Miss World. Yes, there were opportunities. I spoke about destiny but there are certain things that happen at a certain time. I feel Prithviraj happened at the right time, when a lot of offers came in. I was in two minds when Prithviraj was offered to me but it was only after I met Aditya Chopra, I felt confident and this is something that I could do.

What was the meeting with Aditya Chopra like?

As a person, he is so convinced with what he is doing. So that is something that I found really inspiring and I felt that I wanted to work with him. I didn’t have much clue about the industry but I knew who he was. I still remember the first meeting which was supposed to be for 10 minutes, but went on for an hour. I spoke about my journey and he told me about his passion for films and how he got to direct his first film. Today, I am quite relieved and happy that I made that decision, because not only am I learning something new and not just me, my entire family is learning something very new.

What was the first day on the sets like. Were there initial jitters?

Yes, initially there was pressure. There were some seasoned actors like Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood, Sakshi Tanwar, Ashutosh Rana and Manav Vij. It was directed by Dr Chandraprkash Dwivedi. So I didn’t want to be that one weak link and be that person who evidently looks like I am starting out. But luckily, I could see that I had all of them to guide me through that process. I also had a lot of time to prepare, I had around eight to nine months of prep, which kind of made me feel more settled and made me feel a little more confident and assured of what I was doing. Today, I feel very natural and feel happy when I’m on sets.

At the same time, there is a notion that a pageant winner is just another pretty face. Was that a pressure?

Of course there are these preconceived notions. But I’ll be very honest, I’ve grown up so disconnected from what happens in the industry. I am coming to know about a lot of things because a lot of people are asking me about it. Luckily, I didn’t know because sometimes it’s nice to be the deaf frog who doesn’t know what’s going on in the world. These notions are small negatives of the many positives and one of the biggest positive is the fact that I wouldn’t have been noticed by Yash Raj Films had I not been a Miss World. Yeah. So they have given me a platform, protected me and have also given me the right exposure, the right visibility that is needed to enter in an industry for an outsider.

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