Preity Zinta: "Why're you making an example out of Salman Khan? Truly, leave him alone…"
Life is very unfair, especially if you are famous."
You always have two hotties chasing you in films; one time SRK and Saif. Now Akshay and Salman …
"I worked with Akshay after seven years and with Salman after two-three years. I have a great feeling about Jaan-e-Mann film. Leave alone the romance, kids will love it. It's fun, with clean humor, no double-edged meaning or tacky lines in the film. Of course, today's eight year old has the mind and intelligence of a thirteen year old. Kids even loved Salaam Namaste, a movie centering around live-in relationships. My friend's daughter said, 'Preity maasi I loved it when you puked in to Saif's topi.' I was baffled at her reaction. Jaan-e-Mann is a film you see it over hundred times over and not get bored. You could be a four-year old, forty or hundred; you will still love this one."
| "Salman is completely misrepresented because he's not media savvy." |
Jaan-e-Mann went through a lot of ups and downs; it must've affected you too?
"We didn't talk much about the film or hype it up, but its been close to our hearts, especially because we went through a lot of ups and downs throughout the making. One thing it did was that it brought all of us closer. All the negativity that was surrounding it has turned positive, that's what matters most."
| "Don't take the authenticity out of a newspaper because you know film stars sell." |
You stood by your co-star, buddy, Salman Khan through his roughest patch…
"Salman is one of the nicest guys I know, I don't understand why the whole world is after his life. While shooting for our film, every second week he had to run to one court or the other, with hundred cases looming over him. There are thousands of people who do far worse things, but why is he made a target? Only because he's a star? If he was nobody, they wouldn't be interested. There's no point in vengeance against one film star because he does not do interviews for you. You can't ruin his reputation for that. I've said this before and I'm repeating it now - Why're making an example out of Salman Khan? Leave Salman alone. You've made him pay too much for what he's done and he's not done that much. If you really understand him and see him closely, he's a wonderful man. Reverse the situation and see what if this happened to you? Treat him like a common man, not like a star in this case. People are still registering cases against him, drop it man. Let him be! Even the media…stop gunning for him for nothing at all. Salman is completely misrepresented because he's not media savvy."
| "Why don't they speculate about other people getting married? Why me?" |
But you're media savvy; yet, you've had your highs and lows with the media.
"If the media can glorify, they can rip you apart for one mistake that you make. If I did something slightly wrong today, you wouldn't portray me beautifully. Media will cut me up into a million pieces. Life is very unfair, especially if you are famous. You have to pay the price for being famous and for million people waving and saying….''I love you!' The high is so high that when you fall everything crashes around you. There's nobody around you, that's why we need good friends in the industry. Leave alone that - I get written off every year. From 2000 onwards I've been doing one film at my own pace and all of them have been hits. Yet, journalists turn around and say, 'maybe she's getting married that's why she's doing less films, she's not so interested in this.' I have all those press clippings and I know who has written what about me. I don't want anything to do with scribes who misquote me. I do get to hear that I'm behaving like a big snob, but I can't help that. My plea to the media is write, but about the right things. You can't cross lines of decency and you can't write nonsense. Media provides a wonderful platform not just for actors, but for the citizens too. Don't take the authenticity out of a newspaper because you know film stars sell. I like a few journalists, the rest don't matter."
I do get to hear that I am behaving like a big snob, but I can't help that."
The media is instrumental in 'making stars', too. Agree?
"It's my hard work that gives me the platform, and media gives me a chance to talk about it. It's what I have achieved today that gives me this platform, nobody else can come up and take that platform from me because I've strived for it, and won it. Stars have that platform, but it's up to them how they want to use that platform. Are they going to wash dirty linen in it? Are they going to make a positive difference? It's their call. One grouse I have with the media is that all they're interested to know why I'm dating, how I'm dating and who I'm dating. I am honest, so I should be given that leverage, instead of wasted speculation on my marriage. Why don't they speculate about other people getting married? Why me?"
Anupamaa
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