In 2021, Parineeti Chopra garnered attention for her role in the biopic ‘Saina,’ where she portrayed the life of badminton champion Saina Nehwal. Although the film didn’t achieve box office success, it sparked curiosity when fans noticed that Parineeti wasn’t following Saina on Instagram. During the film’s production, the two worked closely, allowing Parineeti to grasp Saina’s mannerisms and life story.
In a recent interview with Subhojit Ghosh on his YouTube channel, Saina addressed the social media speculation, emphasizing that their relationship was strictly professional and that they never developed a friendship.
Saina remarked, “Honestly, I didn’t even notice that she wasn’t following me on social media. My life has been so hectic with training and tournaments. While we had discussions, it was never about forming a friendship. I was just sharing my experiences and journey with her.”
She elaborated that their interactions were limited to work-related meetings, stating, “It was entirely professional. I was focused on my training, which left little time for socializing. We didn’t go out for dinners; our meetings lasted an hour or two every few weeks, usually with the director present, to discuss my journey. We simply didn’t have enough time to build a friendship or worry about social media follows.”
As of now, neither Saina Nehwal nor Parineeti Chopra follows each other on social media.
Released in March 2021, ‘Saina’ received mixed reviews and was launched amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which hampered its box office performance. Directed by Amole Gupte, the film chronicles the inspiring journey of the badminton star and is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.