'Preity is willing to surrender'

By Subhash K Jha

On Tuesday, Mumbai had a out-of-towner sneaking into the Marriott for a few hours.

Deepa Mehta who's all set to direct Preity Zinta in the wife-battering film Heaven On Earth was in Mumbai for less than a day for a long script session with her leading lady.

She left Mumbai on Tuesday evening to spend a day with her mother in Delhi before flying back to Delhi.

"There was no time for any more," Deepa explains. "I had to narrate the script to Preity. We spent nearly six hours together. I really think Preity is a lovely girl…warm, upfront and ready to learn,and willing to make adjustments. She knows the level of discipline required from her and she's willing to make every possible effort to fit in."

Though the shooting for Heaven On Earth begins in November Preity joins Deepa for intense acting workshops in Toronto before shooting.

Says Deepa, "I saw Preity in Rituparno Ghosh's Last Lear where she wore sarees and salwar-kameez. I like her zest for honing her skills. In Heaven On Earth she'll walk through a door into a room she has never been in before. It's a leap of faith for Preity, and one she's willing to take."

The actress has not only agreed to go through workshop and cut down on her remuneration, she'll also be paired with an unknown NRI stage actor Vijendra.

Said Deepa, "Preity is willing to surrender completely to the character. I see this healthy trend in Hindi cinema of actors willing to shed their glamorous images.

Shah Rukh Khan and John Abraham have done it Chak De India and Water and No Smoking. The actresses are doing it too."

Preity goes totally de-glam in Heaven On Earth.

Admits Deepa, "Yes. She'll be the consummate Punjabi kudi in Heaven On Earth. But they'd still recognize her in Toronto. NRIs are nuts about big Bollywood stars. I've to keep the shooting and location a complete secret."

And though a small portion of the film is located in Jullundhar, Deepa will re-locate the drama to a different, safer, Indian city.

"Can you imagine what crowds would be like if Preity shot in Jullandhar? Recently she shot in Chandigarh for Samir Karnik's Mera Bharat Mahaan and the mobs crowds were uncontrollable. I'll shoot in India bit in a more viable city," promises Deepa.