Raksha Bandhan: Parineeti Chopra says she’s like her brothers’ second mother

Actor Parineeti Chopra and her younger brothers Sahaj (24) and Shivang (22) have not been together on Raksha Bandhan since 2006, but they make sure the distance doesn’t make the celebrations any less. “All three of us are in different parts of the country — I’m in Mumbai, Shivang is studying in Pune and Sahaj is working in Ambala, so the last time we were together on this festival was 11 years back, before I went to England for further studies,” says Parineeti.

The 28-year-old says their bond is so strong that they don’t need to be in the same room to celebrate the festival. “We talk to each other and do FaceTime. I make sure that rakhi reaches them on time and one of my cousins or somebody ties it to them on my behalf. It’s that time of the year when I spoil them, so I send them gifts, and money has to be there with the gifts.”

And what remains the most cherished gift she’s ever got on Rakhi? “When my brothers were young, they’d give me Rs 100 each or maybe Rs 50. And now, they always send something that I need — could be the latest phone or some special personalised present. We have the kind of relationship where we are gifting each other the whole year. Whether it is ordering stuff online or picking up things for them when I go abroad.”

Going down memory lane, the actor recalls how travelling around the world with her two little brothers remains her best memory. “I’ve been travelling to Kenya since I was 6 months old, as my grandparents lived there. So being in a plane with Sahaj and Shivang from the age of two till we hit 20 is something that I’ll always cherish,” shares Parineeti. Her second best memory is looking after her brothers in her mom’s absence. “My mom would go out and I would be babysitting them at home. I’m almost like their second mother.”

Calling her brothers her first love, Parineeti says, “The three of us are inseparable. There will be a man who I will get married to and have kids with, but my brothers will always be the love of my life,” she quips. Asked how her star status has affected their equation as siblings, she says it’s rather funny how her brothers often forget that she is a celebrity. “They always tell me how their friends are like, ‘oh you are Parineeti’s brother’ and they’re like, ‘we forget that are you a famous person and the world knows you.’ The way my brothers call me up or scold me .... whenever I’m crying or I need to talk about my life, my being an actor is not even in the scenario,” Parineeti tells us.

Talking about the siblings’ thick friendship, she shares that she confides in her brothers the most. “I talk to them almost every day. Sahaj is my best friend. Shivang has grown up so much in the last few years that I talk to him about everything now. They know everything about me, my personal life, my relationships, all the gossip, my love life, financial problems... they know every single decision I’m making before the world knows about it.”