"I really don't find time for my family -- I take it for granted that they will come and hang out with me." Being the first-born to parents who left a flourishing medical practice to ensure that her career took off, it is evident that Priyanka has done them proud.

The senior Chopras unobtrusively watch their daughter's shoot, the mother with a slight smile as she notes the near-perfect shots being reflected on the computer screen, and the father sits back quietly and takes in the confidence of his offspring with teary-eyed pride.

Rarely present while his daughter is shooting, the Verve shoot takes Dr Ashok Chopra back in time. He recalls his 12-year-old girl flouncing in front of a full-length mirror (her only demand from her parents) singing 'Mere khwaabon mein jo aaye' from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge -- Priyanka's absolute favourite film of all time. Even now, she recalls in the blink of an eye the same sparkle, head toss and look of romantic fervour.

"Today my dad is home, living his life to the fullest -- I am so grateful for that." She went through a rough patch -- possibly the only glitch in an ostensibly dream-like life -- when she watched her father go through a serious illness that took him two year to recover from. She was, at the time, shooting for one of the most important movies of her career, Krrish and wrapping up Bluffmaster.

"Your father is always your invincible superhero, to whom nothing can ever happen, because he is the one who protects you -- and then suddenly tables turn and you have to protect him. I felt so helpless and lost. I didn't know how to deal with it."

But deal with it, she did. She would spend nights between shoots at the hospital, thankful that this happened at a time in her career when she could provide the best possible treatment that money could buy, without compromising on her work. A year earlier, it would not have been possible.

Courtesy: Verve Magazine (www.verveonline.com)

Also See: Priyanka's wardrobe malfunction!

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