When this week actress Meera Chopra’s father was robbed of his phone, she was none too pleased when the news came out announcing her as “Priyanka Chopra’s cousin”.
The epithet has become a permanent part of Meera’s media exposure and she hates it.
“May I please humbly request the media to let me have my own identity? Of course, I am very proud of my cousin. But I’d like to think there is more to me than my cousin. At least, let me try to make my own way in life. If I am only going to be someone’s cousin all my life I don’t have much to show to my children and grandchildren, do I?” Meera asks.
Meera is currently in Delhi during the nationwide lockdown with her parents. And she is learning a new skill. “No not baking cakes. I am learning online on how to perform acupressure. My dad and mom use to get it done by a specialist every other day, and it helped them sleep and it even helped my dad’s diabetes. So now I am doing that at home for them. It’s such a good practice.”
Otherwise, the lockdown is turning into an ordeal for Meera. “It’s turning bad now. I am just bored and irritated, I need to get back to work. It’s nice to spend time with family but now I’ve got so used to living alone that I need to get back to Mumbai.”
As she awaits the end of the lockdown Meera is keeping herself busy at home in Delhi. “Besides the online course in acupressure, I am doing lot of singing, cooking. And then I have two small nieces. With them around the day just goes by. Baking cakes and working-out at home .. honestly I am not able to do that either. I don’t get motivated enough to work-out at home. A few times when I went out for a run I realised Delhi is really not a place where a girl can run on the road. So until the lockdown ends no more running around.”
