This National Award-winning actress left home at 17, was body-shamed, battled depression after films flopped miserably

There is a set beauty standard in the industry and actors and actresses sometimes have to go through body-shaming and trolling for their looks. One such actress who is a National Award-winner was also criticized for her weight and later battled depression after her films failed miserably at the box office. 

The National Award-winning actress left home at 17 and wished to be an investment banker. Before becoming an actress she used to work at YRF as a PR consultant. She is none other than Parineeti Chopra. 

Parineeti Chopra completed her education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Ambala. The actress left home at 17 to pursue her higher studies in London. She received a triple honours degree in business, finance, and economics from Manchester Business School. While studying, the actress worked part-time for the Manchester United Football Club as the team leader of the catering department.

When Parineeti Chopra came back to India, she obtained an internship in the marketing department of Yash Raj Films, joining the production company as a public relations consultant. Later, while working for the promotions for Band Baaja Baarat in 2010, Parineeti realized that she wanted to become an actress and decided to resign from her executive position at YRF to attend acting school. 

Parineeti Chopra made her big screen debut in a supporting role in the romantic comedy Ladies vs Ricky Bahl alongside Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was moderately successful at the box office. 

Parineeti Chopra’s second film was Habib Faisal's action romantic drama Ishaqzaade alongside Arjun Kapoor. Her role in the movie got her a National Award-Special Mention. Her next two films Shudh Desi Romance and Hasee Toh Phasee were also commercial hits and her performances in the movie were much appreciated by the audience. 

However, after this, the actress faced the ‘worst phase of her life’ as her next few films failed miserably at the box office. In a show Tapecast, Parineeti talked about the time when she faced professional setbacks, heartbreak and had no money and friends, and battled depression. 

The actress said on the talk show, “I’m referring to the year 2015 - end of 2014 and all of 2015. I would say the one-and-half years were truly the worst time of my life. Two of my films, Daawat-e-Ishq and Kill Dil didn’t work. That was my first setback. Suddenly I didn’t have money. I had bought a house and made big investments. Then I went through a big heartbreak in my life. Literally all departments in my life were down and I had nothing positive to look forward to.” 

She added, “I stopped eating and sleeping well, and didn’t have any friends at that time. I never met people. I cut off touch with everyone including my family. I would talk to them once in two weeks. I was gone. I just used to be in my room, watching TV, sleeping, getting up, staring all day. I was a zombie. I was a typical filmy depressed girl. I would curl up on my sofa and sleep, falling ill all the time. I didn’t meet the media for almost six months.” 

She recalled how her brother helped her heal and said, “Sahej, my brother, he’s my soulmate. He was the only one I spoke to every single day. He would stay with me and help me out. There was my friend Sanjana. We spoke a lot and became closer in that year. She helped me so much. I would cry maybe 10 times a day. I was always crying and upset. I had chest pain that would not go out of my body. I’ve never felt actual clinical depression. It happened in that year but started getting better towards the start of 2016. I started feeling better, working on myself, became fitter, signed Golmaal, (Meri Pyari) Bindu and I moved into a new house.” 

The actress also earlier talked about getting body-shamed when she first entered Bollywood but revealed that she always took it positively and kept working on herself to become fitter. 

Meanwhile, the actress has recently stepped into a new phase of life as she tied the knot with politician Raghav Chadha. The two hot married in an intimate but lavish wedding in Udaipur’s The Leela Palace. The couple reportedly met each other while studying in London. 

On the work front, Parineeti Chopra will be next seen in the movie Mission Raniganj. Helmed by Tinu Suresh Desai, the movie also stars Akshay Kumar along with Kumud Mishra and Ravi Kishan in key roles and is scheduled to hit the theatres on October 6.

Read Newlyweds Parineeti Chopra, Raghav Chadha look stunning in first picture from their reception, fans say ‘nazar naa lage’