Priyanka Chopra has been the busiest actor in 2015. She set a new record in air miles by taking over 1000 flights jet setting between the US and India where she shot for her American TV show Quantico and her Bollywood projects Bajirao Mastani and Jai Gangaajal. Between the madness of dealing with jetlag and jumping into characters from different periods and backgrounds, she also learnt from valuable life lessons from the experience. In a candid chat, she tells me about the year that was. Read on...

One word that encompasses 2015 for you.Overworked!

But not underpaid right? And underpaid! Whenever I say that, everyone is like, ‘Yeh purana ho gaya’. I don’t talk about payments, my art is too deep for me. I work so much that I am not apologetic about what I get paid. Everybody should be compensated for the work they do and renumeration are meant for that. But for me, my work is my spirituality. When I get on to a set, it’s bigger than me and everyone else. I am an entertainer. I thought I was made to be an engineer but clearly not; I love my job! I love the fact that characters are written for me, that filmmakers come to me and tell me, ‘This role was written keeping you in mind. Please do it!’

One life lesson that 2015 taught youOne thing it has taught me is that there is nothing bigger than the product itself. Like an actor is not bigger than the film. It is Deepika, Ranveer and I who have contributed to making Bajirao Mastani what it is. Not one of us, not two of us, but three of us together. And the 300 faceless, nameless people who worked for 200 days without taking a holiday. We, as actors, at least got breaks to make this film as it is, for the research, clothes, everything. Look at the detailing in this film, doing this film taught me that. We get credit because of our faces on the posters, but there are so many unsung heroes on a film that deserve more credit.

Even for Quantico, we have nine writers who sit and write relentless, because they write it as it goes along. So right now, we are writing episode 15, shooting 13 and we have to do 22 next. It is nuts. I have always been a believer in team work and been a team player, I am not competitive am collaborative, but this year has taught me the importance of being a team player.

Even with Jai Gangaajal, sitting with Prakash sir and talking for 10 hours, we went into shooting. I didn’t have to discuss anything after that, even with Dil Dhadakne Do, the way Zoya gave me the freedom to play Ayesha. Collaborating is fun, that is what I have learnt this year.