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Elegance
Preity Zinta is glowing and one might ask why. Well, for starters, her career is zooming and she couldn't have asked for better roles or banners. With the Iatest being Yash Chopra's next untitled film, Shekhar Kapur's Mantra and the possibility of doing Karan Johar's next directorial venture. Looking like a million bucks in a simple blue T shirt and faded jeans,the actress is sporting yet another hairdo for the Chopra film. "I've forgotten what my original hair looks like, what with constantly cutting, styling and colouring it", she quips. Talking nineteen-to-the-dozen she doesn't seem to get tired of globetrotting or shooting non-stop as long as she can have her annual two-month holiday. Zinta is all pepped up and pumped up on life, awards and movies. In out word play we throw words at Ms Zinta and get reactions that vary...laughter, philosophical musings, surprise, regret, sadness and more. Read on.
Acting: "Destiny played a very strong part in my life. It moved me from Criminal Psychology to acting. I wasn't even prepared for this change. I neither signed up with any acting classes nor attended dance classes. And look at me today...I'm trying to enact different roles, which appeal to the audience. But I'm sure that whatever I'll do, I'll rock. It's a rare possibility that I'll be acting ten years from now. My five best film are Kya Kehna-because that's the first film I signed, Dil Se-because it was the first one that got released, Koi Mil Gaya-because it was Bollywood's first science fiction film, Kal Ho Naa Ho-because it brought me my maximum awards, and Dil Chahta Hai- 'cause I had a blast doing it. There are two more I'd like to mention-Armaan, because I had a negative role in it and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke for it explored the subject of surrogate motherhood, probably for the first time in Indian cinema. All my films are my favourites. That's the lovely part of it because I choose my films carefully. Every film has it's up and downs. Like in Kal Ho Naa Ho, it was party-time till we learnt about late Yash Uncle's cancer and the whole crew was upset. In Lakshya, the weather got to us. Ladakh was freezing cold while Delhi was hot and horrible! I had a heat stroke there so all these memories will be with me forever."
Awards: "Awards are important if given by the audiences. When a film does well-that's important too. It's a very big award for people to appreciate your work. They have spent their money on you and are getting back its worth. Award ceremonies are very importent to an actor if they are authentic. If categories are created to make actors happy then I think it's rubbish. But more then anything else, Bollywood's a party. I have won so many awards for Kal Ho Naa Ho that I am on cloud nine.I think the best award ceremony for me was the IIFA awards, not because I won, but because we had so much fun. Those three four days I met all the film fraternity people."
Fame: "There are two ways I look at fame. One is as an actor, which is fabulous. It brings me lots of fans and great roles. The other is as Preity the person, which I hate because of all the negative stories circulated by the media. After being such an open person, after saying everything loud and clear they cook up stories that I'm married to Mr. X and then after two months they say it's not X it's Y and the story continues. The disadvantages of being famous are more as a person rather than as an actor. As an actor, fame is always good but these stories are the proverbial fly in the ointment."
Money: "It's very important to a certain extent, but it's not the driving force of my life, my ambition or my career. It's very important 'cause it can buy you the current hot fashions, trendy bags and shoes, first-class tickets... but I'll never sell my soul for money. My market price is what people think of me. I'm no commodity. I'll charge what I like. I don't charge too much but only what I think is good for me. There are millions who don't make even a quarter of what I do. It's very silly and pompous of me to scream out the amount I charge. I'm satisfied with what I make. It may not be too much, but it's enough. I like to endorse products I like. I signed for Maggi, which I've enjoyed eating all my life. I even eat raw Maggi noodles on the sets. I love Maggi Ketchup too. So it's something which I can identify with. I did Pepsi because I like it and not Coca Cola. I do a personal quality control and do not accept ads on just the money offered. Quality is always better then quantity. I like to save but I spend too, on myself and people. When I travel, I want to go first class, drive in a limousine, live at the best hotels and shop like a princess, but when I when I work I undergo manual labour!"
Career: "It's the media that turns you into a number. Today it dubs you No. 1 and tomorrow number zero. Every actor has a lot of talent. It's a lot of hard work being an actor and it's insensitive to tag numbers onto us. I refuse to be part of this number trip and I think whenever I'm ready to move ahead in life I will. I'll have children, a family and raise kids. Let's see where life takes me for I'm not a planner. I live for the moment. Planning about tomorrow is wasting today."
Failure: "Actors are never hits and flops, films are. I haven't really had flops as such. I should thank God. My ratio of flop films has been like 5%. Otherwise most of my movies have been either average, hits or superhits. When I complete a film I detach myself emotionally from it. If it does well I say 'great' and if it doesn't I feel sad and move on. You can't have a hit every time, so for me success is not as important as the joy of working in a film."
Rumours: "It's irritating the way the media has lately run out of ideas to write about me. So they've resorted to publishing cheap stories. First I was married to Aamir Khan, then I was supposed to be seeing Saif Ali Khan in New York. They later corrected themselves saying it was not Saif but a bodyguard. Now I'm supposed to be seeing Abhishek Bachchan. There I'm travelling on work abroad while here film magazines are spinning stories about me. I think because the law in India on defamation isn't tough enough, the media takes advantage. I've been here for six years and believe that journalists should clarify their stories with me. Hello! I'm available and I have never lied about my life. I'm very proud about what I do. I don't think anybody else has the right to pass a judgement on me. These stories don't affect me as much as they hurt my family, the people I love and care about. They are only masala for the public that reads them. It's not fair!"
Competition: "I don't treat anyone as competition. I'm friends with most of the female stars. I like Manisha Koirala for she's amazing. Aishwarya Rai is a good friend of mine and though we don't meet often, we always catch up. I have a lot of respect for her. No matter what people say, she is not like what she is made out to be. I have always found her to be very elegant, yet girlish. We are good friends. I'm fond of her, Mahima and Rani."
Vanity: "I'm a pretty vain person like any ordinary girl. The other day we were shooting a song and when we had to do a close up I discovered three pimples on my face and that became the sore point for me all day. Beyond that I am not vain. I don't ruin my skin by using a lot of make-up to get that flawless look. My body language is Western and so I guess I carry off dresses very well. Thus, when people compliment me I feel good like anyone else would. Otherwise, I'm not obsessed with my looks, and do not try to be prim and proper all the time."
Love: "Presently, I'm not seeing anyone. Moreover, I like to keep my personal life private. I'll never go around with someone from the film industry, ever. It's a way of keeping my life sane and of separating my professional from my personal life. If I fall in love with a film personality then things might get awkward for me. Familiarity breeds contempt and I don't want that to happen. I love all my co-stars. They are very nice and sweet and help me a lot and I want to keep it at that. We are great friends. We work well together. Beyond that things can only get negative."
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