Preity Zinta doesn’t like serious interviews, especially when she’s happy. And she’s very happy post- Heroes , post-her best actress award at the Chicago Film Festival for Deepa Mehta’s Heaven On Earth , and has been flashing her famous dimpled smile generously. Which is why she doesn’t want to do a “Sardari Begum kind of interview”. So this is what Preity really enjoys talking about.The award for Heaven On Earth: “People in the international film festival circuit don’t equate performance with commercial Hindi cinema. It’s difficult to act in a commercial Hindi film. Get an actor from anywhere and tell them to sing and dance with conviction… it’s tough!
What’s close to reality is easy to do, what’s part of fantasy is difficult. When I shot my first song for Kya Kehna, I felt so silly lip syncing, I’d start giggling, and they’d scream and say, ‘What’s wrong with her?’ because footage was being wasted. And I’d be lip syncing to Saif’s bits, and they’d say, ‘Will someone please tell her to lip sync to the girl’s bits?’ So at the festivals, they said, ‘We didn’t know you had that in you!’
On googling herself: “Yes, I do. Once, I found something that said, ‘Preity’s hush hush wedding video’. And it was a video of some other people getting married! I left a note there saying ‘Losers!’ Once in a while I find good stuff, bad stuff, constructive criticism… I take the bitchiness with a pinch of salt, I take the compliments with a smile, and when it becomes too much for me, I just say, save energy, reduce your carbon footprint, and switch off my computer!”On writing a column on eve-teasing: “It was very widely read.” Has she been eve-teased? “Of course.” Is she still eve-teased? “Are you nuts?
I’ve too much security around me. But seriously, I don’t know how many guys I must have slapped. In Delhi, for sure - someone’s pinching my butt, passing a comment. I remember, once I was walking in Delhi and some guy said, ‘Wah, chand kahan se nikal aaya hai?’ or something stupid. And I said, ‘Tumhare ghar mein maa behen nahin hai?’ And he goes, ‘Maa mere baap ke liye, behen mere jija ke liye, aur tu darling mere liye!’”
On dancing and partying: “I can dance really well, but I dance the best when I don’t get paid for it, at a party or a club. I used to be a very party-party person. In college, I’d jump out the window to go to party. And I had this baby face, and so they’d always throw me out of the club, and I’d be begging and saying, ‘No, but you have to believe me, I’m 18!’ But I can’t just party for the sake of it, unless there’s something to celebrate.”
