Preity Zinta is back to what she does best. The Salaam Namaste star — last seen in serious, critic-friendly dramas such as Heaven On Earth and The Last Lear — is determined to end her two-year sabbatical from films with a funny no-brainer flick. Her tell-all declaration? "I am so done with that fiery, emotional stuff."
"There will be a new me for sure… definitely something light-hearted and funny. You will see a lot of me in romantic comedies or full-on comedy, and maybe even a thriller. No heavy emotional dramas please," says Zinta letting us in on her need to return to popular, commercially viable ventures. In the festival favourite Heaven On Earth, Zinta played a victim of domestic violence.
She adds that films took a back seat, especially when she became an entrepreneur as owner of Indian Premier League cricket team Kings XI Punjab, and when she got down to hosting the reality show Guinness World Records: Ab India Todega.
"The way I look at it, cricket is a full-time job and acting is a full-time job. And for cricket, you need to be physically present— so how can I be everywhere? And I didn't want to stress out all my producers and directors by being half here and half there. That's not fair to anybody," says Zinta, who was recently seen cheering the Indian team at the World Cup semi-finals in Mohali and later at their historic win in Mumbai.
"You know I was very busy with all my shoots and stuff. Nearly 16 hours of shooting with hardly any breaks — maybe 10 minutes here and there. But I had decided that I will definitely go for the semi-finals and the finals — no other game. And to know that semi-finals was in my hometown Mohali, I could never miss that," says Zinta, who wore her patriotism on her sleeve by donning a tunic with colours from the Indian flag.
"It was such a great game. For the first time I could enjoy the game rather than worry about 100 other things. I went there as a fan and not as owner of a team. I didn't have to wonder about who doesn't have passes, who gets to enter the stadium… I even wore a Patiala suit," says Zinta.
But it's not all play for the 36-year-old star. She misses the world of movies and is pained when her name doesn't feature in the nomination category at award functions. The closest she will get to it this year is walking the eco-friendly green-carpet of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) in Toronto in June and collecting a Gr8 Women Awards trophy in Dubai this Friday.
Awards nominations
"That's why I am into movies now. I am fed up of not being nominated … just joking. But seriously, I have been so much into cricket that I have missed out on a lot of film stuff. I miss movies," says Zinta adding that she is working towards seeing her face in future awards nominations. So far so good. But ask her whether good roles are hard to come by, especially when there are dozens of PYTs invading Bollywood, and she turns fiery.
"Age matters only if you are going to play a dumb teeny bopper. Even if you pay me Rs10 million, I won't do that. I agree with what you are saying but most of the ageist stuff is made out by the media and a few people in the industry. The audience doesn't think like that… They want powerful performances and good scripts," says the actress, who made her debut with Dil Se in 1998. She even picks out Rani Mukherjee, who made a powerful comeback recently with No One Killed Jessica, to illustrate her point.
"Did you think of Rani's age when watching the movie? And also, the other day I was watching a film with Meryl Streep in it and I didn't wonder about her age. So why should we think the audience are dumb? If they thought like that, then would you see a 45-year-old actor romancing a 20-something?" says Zinta.
She may be more discerning as an actress now, but offers to play her signature onscreen roles — that of an effervescent (read jolliness-on-steroids) girl — are still pouring in.
"I am still the go-to girl for chirpy roles. Some I find refreshing… But chirpy roles are something I won't be able to dodge till I am 80 years old."
“It’s wonderful to be applauded and receive an award in Dubai. I haven’t been there in some time and I am looking forward to it.” — Priety Zinta on attending the Gr8 Women Awards this weekend.
Preity savvy
- Preity Zinta, who features prominently on Bollywood's best-dressed list, shares her tips on shining on the red-carpet at the IIFA weekend in June.
- Do not wear flip-flops to a red-carpet event
- You needn't wear an expensive gown, but wear an appropriate one.
- When in doubt, just wear formal attire.
- Keep the weather in mind before deciding on the dress.
