Preity has a New Agenda

Preity Zinta has a serious new agenda — women's upliftment. It looks like Preity's career is now going beyond films and cricket. Recently in Delhi, she met Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

"We met for just about 20 minutes, and I along with some other women like Renuka Chowdhary and some NGOs with a voice, got a chance to have a say. It was to urge him to make the budget women-friendly, to provide incentives for women in the industries, etc."

It's unusual to see an actress with such a glamourous image interacting with a senior politician on a social issue.

Preity protests, "I guess it's a natural process of growth within all individuals. I may have started off as a glamourous entity in a glamour industry. But today, I look for substance and motivation in whatever I do. Whether it's my roles in films or in real life, I've to get re-inspired."

Sounding so much like Shabana Azmi, Preity avers, "I strongly feel women with a voice in this country need to get together to create better opportunities for the silent majority. Getting home loans are so difficult for single women or widows when they don't have a collateral security to offer. I'd like to see that change. I also want to work for improving hygiene and personal sanitation. And of course, free and compulsory education for women."

Preity discussed all of this with Mr Chidambaram. "It wasn't easy getting an appointment with him. He gave us all a patient ear. He heard us out so gracefully. I had never met Mr Chidambaram before. He's highly qualified and wonderfully articulate. We had a very positive meeting. And I hope our conversation reflects somewhere in the budget."

Preity was the only spokesperson from the film industry who met the Finance Minister on Monday. "I suppose it's because of my work with women, especially the issue of female foeticide. I seriously feel it's time for me to give back to society some of what I've been given."