Preity Zinta is proud of her work in the last year in such movies as The Last Lear, Heaven on Earth and Heroes. Heaven on Earth in particular has done well at the Toronto, London and Chicago International Film Festivals where Preity won the Best Actress Award, the Silver Hugo. However, she says she wants to break away now from doing sad roles for a while.
“I’ve been so sad in my last couple of films,” she says. “Maybe I ought to do a romance, because in those roles I look better and feel – ah, so happy! I could even do an action film, because that’s the only genre left that I’ve not ventured into.”
Her penetrating role as a widowed mother in Heroes has also brought her a great deal of attention. She is particularly pleased as many of her friends were urging her to turn down the difficult role. How did she feel about that?
“Well, it was quite disappointing that many of my close friends kept discouraging me from playing this role,” she says. “But, it was falling in love with my characterization once the director had narrated it to me that changed my mind. The character of the Punjabi girl reminded me of my mother and many complimented me for it, especially in my wedding clothes.”
Preity has a degree in criminal psychology and is co-owner of the Punjabi Kings cricket team. She won a National Bravery Award for testifying against the Indian mafia in the Bharat Shah case in 2003. She is a real-life hero. She is actively involved in a number of social projects such as AIDS awareness and female infanticide and her next big role will be in Har Pal early next year.
