enRoute It’s been three years since you starred in a Bollywood film. How did you decide that The Sky Is Pink, a true story about the family of teenage author Aisha Chaudhary, was a project you wanted to take on?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas I never wanted to do only Hindi movies. I don’t think working in Hollywood and Bollywood has to be mutually exclusive, so it was never an either/or choice for me. It was just that shooting [the TV series] Quantico took about 11 months out of the year. I was able to squeeze in Isn’t It Romantic, Baywatch and part of Bajirao Mastani while filming the show, but it was hard to do a full–fledged feature. So, when Quantico was over, I really wanted to do a film in Hindi. My manager told me there was something about The Sky Is Pink; she knew I’d connect with it. I read the script and immediately called her to say I wanted to meet the director.
ER What was it about the script that drew you in?
PCJ There’s something so universal about this movie, and about loss in general – that’s what I loved about it. My dad passed away several years ago. He was a big personality. We couldn’t mourn his death – he would have hated that – so we celebrated his life. We hired his favourite band and ate food that he loved. With The Sky Is Pink, I was fascinated by how the director dealt with death. It wasn’t just another movie for me. And that’s why I decided to come on as a producer as well. I believe in the film.
ER How is your production company, Purple Pebble Pictures, involved with it?
PCJ I’ve done about nine regional productions with Purple Pebble Pictures, but never acted in any of them before this one because I wanted my company to stand on its own. When I found this movie, I told the producer that I believed in it so much, I wanted to contribute to its production. I knew I’d be able to help push it as much as possible. Purple Pebble Pictures attaches itself to films that stand for something. That doesn’t mean that every film has to have a moral or a social responsibility aspect, but the storytelling has to stand for something.