I don't like ambition that tries to put down people, says Parineeti Chopra

She has been in Hindi cinema for just six years and appeared in just nine films, but they are mostly in different genres. Actress Parineeti Chopra says she prefers not to play repetitive characters.

"Audiences are keen to see a performance as much as they like watching the stars and larger-than-life films," she told IANS news agency. "So being able to deliver in different genres and tackle a variety of roles has more value.

"Personally, for me, repeating myself at this stage of my career would just be uninspiring. I like to challenge myself and put out a new shade with each film."

Chopra was recently seen on screen in the comic entertainer Golmaal Again (2017), which has grossed over Rs200 crore at the box office in India.

Do these benchmarks matter to Chopra? "As an actor, you want to have a great body of work, but I would be lying if I said the Rs100 crore benchmark doesn't matter," she said. "It matters to every actor. It just shows how audiences are accepting you, how much they love you. I'm loving the feeling that I have right now."

Her next film project is Dibakar Banerjee's Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar. Chopra said Banerjee was always in the list of her "dream directors" ever since she began acting.

"I have always been really fortunate to work with amazing directors," said the actress. "Dibakar has been on my dream directors' list ever since I took up acting. Working with him has involved elaborate prep and very focused workshops. He has an exquisite eye for nuance and detail.

"His characters make his movie stand out. I am thoroughly enjoying this process of shooting for the film with him."

Chopra will be seen as a fiercely ambitious girl in the film. Is she like that in real life?

"I am ambitious, yes, just not fiercely ambitious," she said. "When I take up something, I give it my absolute best. I focus on it 100% and try achieving it. I don't like ambition that tries to put down people and talent. I feel there is enough room for everyone to grow."

Whether it was Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl (2011), Ishaqzaade (2012), Shuddh Desi Romance (2013), Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), Daawat-e-Ishq (2014) or Meri Pyaari Bindu (2017), Chopra said when she plays a character, she tries to bring it alive with "human, believable traits and nuances".

"I want to work on varied characters, films and subjects," she said. "In that sense, I am passionate more than ambitious. My character in Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, though, is super ambitious and that makes her different from me. It's also fun playing characters that are so different — it makes you live someone else's life, dreams, aspirations."

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, which is slated for release next year, also stars Chopra's Ishaqzaade co-star Arjun Kapoor. She says their relationship has not changed in the past five years.

"Arjun has certainly evolved as one of the bankable actors today, which is a huge achievement," she said. "Arjun's understanding of the craft and his eagerness to learn sets him apart. With Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, we are doing a very intense film together... we are at loggerheads in the movie."