Actor-turned-entrepreneur Parul Gulati talks to India Today Digital about her crush on Priyanka Chopra. He said that PeeCee inspires him to “achieve everything” in life. Parul, known as the ‘Mistress of Nish Hair’ after her stint in Shark Tank, also talked about her plans to pursue a career in films amid her booming business.

Parul Gulati talks to India Today Digital about how she wants to streamline her acting career, as her love and passion for acting remains intact despite her booming business. “I am extremely grateful to be doing what I love,” he said. I consider myself fortunate that I have managed to create many work opportunities for myself that keep me busy throughout the year. Acting will always be the thing I will be most passionate about. It is also important that I give credit to my team. Whether it’s for my business or whether it’s the team of managers and publicists for my acting work, I’ve been blessed to have a super supportive team.”

Talking about how she envisions taking her career forward, she said, “I haven’t done any dramatic projects yet. Whatever work I have done till now has been either for OTT or Punjabi films. It’s definitely something I enjoy doing, but I also want to get a project that’s meant for the silver screen. This is also because I have not done a single Hindi film till date, so doing one is definitely on my bucket list. I did Silence (film) but again, that was an OTT release and not a theatrical Hindi feature film.

She said, “At this moment, I am really feeling like doing a film because it has always been my dream to see myself on the big screen.”

Talking about her idols in the film fraternity and who she would like to work with in the future, Parul said, “My idol will always be Priyanka Chopra. I’m a big fan of her work and not only that, I’m also a big fan of who she is as a person. Her career graph of successfully being an actor in both Bollywood and Hollywood as well as running her own business in the beauty industry – PeeCee is one woman who knows how to do it all.

She further added, “I love Priyanka because she is multifaceted — from being an actor, producer, running her own restaurant to being an entrepreneur – there is not a single thing that I think Priyanka can’t do. She inspires me to do all this and I think she is the inspiration that inspires many other women too. So, Priyanka Chopra will always be my inspiration and someone I really look up to. ‘

Additionally, Parul said she is “looking forward” to working with filmmaker Imtiaz Ali: “As an actor, the one director I’m really looking forward to working with is Imtiaz Ali. It’s my dream to be Imtiaz Ali’s heroine, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a film or a show, who wouldn’t want to work with him? And don’t want to be the heroine of the cinematic world created by him?

She also added, “All her female characters are so well crafted and beautifully written that one can’t help but love the different layers that she brings to the table through her lovable characters and story. Let’s portray. They are beautiful, crazy and layered all at the same time. Imtiaz really empowers his female characters amazingly and I am really hoping that I get a chance to work with him soon.”

Parul Gulati is known for her work in films, television and TVF skits. She has been a part of projects like Silence 2: The Night Owl Bar Shootout, Girls Hostel, Made in Heaven Season 2 and others.