Punjab becomes a Bollywood favourite (Snippets)

Mumbai, Dec 26 (IANS) Punjab was hot on the Bollywood movie map in 2007 with several films being shot there. The Deols shot a major portion of their family saga 'Apne' as did Kareena and Shahid Kapoor for 'Jab We Met'.

Recently, Preity Zinta and Salman Khan were there too to shoot for Samir Karnik's 'Heroes'. And last Thursday, Preity was back in Punjab for her second shoot in 2007 under heavy security.

After a gruelling month-long schedule of their first Punjabi film 'Heaven On Earth', Preity and director Deepa Mehta were in Chandigarh for a two-day shoot under tight security because fans in Punjab are known to get 'hyper-excited' at the sight of their favourite stars.

A fortnight ago, when Ranbir Kapoor landed in Amritsar to shoot for Siddharth Anand's untitled film, thousands thronged the location near the Golden Temple and broke through the security cordon to get as close to the actor as they could.

Speaking from the outskirts of Chandigarh where she was shooting Friday and Saturday, Deepa said, 'I don't know whether we're coming or going. Since we had only Preity's dates till Dec 24, we went straight from location in Toronto to the airport to rush to India... We're aware of the security risks. The administration has been very co-operative. We're well protected. And Preity has her own bodyguards. So far it's been smooth sailing.'

'Heaven On Earth', the true-life story of a battered wife in Toronto, has been Preity's toughest role to date.