I loved the Australian boys: Preity Zinta

By Subhash K Jha

The IPL jamboree and hoopla over, Preity Zinta took off for a quiet week-long holiday at a place where there was no noise, bustle and cellphones.

"The worst thing is I wasn't even allowed to talk. Can you imagine, me not talking?"

Preity can't stop chuckling.

Rejuvenated she's raring to get back to films.

"I didn't realize how much I had been put behind. I've so much pending work. Four films are at different stages of completion. I've to immediately start dubbing for Harr Pal and Heroes. Then I leave for the world tour with the Bachchans."

In Heroes she stars with one of her favourite co-stars Salman Khan for whom she has agreed to do an item song in the Salman-Kareena starrer Main Aur Mrs Khanna.

Preity corrects me. "It's Salman's home production. And he is a buddy. But it's not an item song, really. It's an interesting cameo. And I've agreed to be in the film because the director Prem Soni is a dear friend. And since Salman has played Prem so often, let's just say this one is for Prem."

After shooting and editing the Punjabi film Heaven On Earth Deepa Mehta says Preity is the best actress she has ever worked with.

Preity bursts into delighted chuckles. "I love Deepa for that. When she signed me for the film she told me she wanted the actress, not the star. That sounded so corny. But when I reached Toronto to shoot Heaven On Earth I knew exactly what she meant. I'm dying to see the complete film."

Looking back on the IPL experience Preity sighs, "It was one helluva learning experience. It was also very annoying to hear rubbish like 'Preity sat on a cricketer's lap'.

Does it make any sense for me to make a public spectacle of myself? I mean that's hardly me. I don't sit on people's laps. "

But the fall out has been more positive than anything else. "I learnt a whole new definition for the concept of on- field bonding. See, as a film actor I've always worked in a team. But not in this way.

Here on the field I was hands-on. I loved the Sri Lankan and Australian boys. Some of the Australians would hardly utter a word. I specially had to make an effort to make the younger inexperienced Indian players comfortable.

Now I know that having bonded together in spite of being from different spaces they'd understand the team spirit much better."

Preity was openly and unabashedly demonstrative during the games. " I showed my emotions spontaneously as I always have. I hugged players when I wanted to. I cried and I cheered when I wanted.

If that was misconstrued by some, so be it. I was having a good time while learning so much about cricket and human behaviour. As for the spoilsports they can't be helped.

There were people whom I thought to be friends who cribbed about not being invited to the matches. Arrey, do I invite people for my films? The IPL experience made me realize who my friends are."

Yes, there was a sense of loss when her Mohali team lost at the pen-ultimate match in Mumbai.

But Preity defends her team stoutly. "It was that Murphy's Law at work. Something somewhere is bound to go wrong. And it did. But I can't say my team played badly at Mumbai. We did go right up to the semi-finals. And that was no mean achievement. Next time we'll go right to the top."

Next time is a distance away. "A lot of planning has to be done for the next IPL matches. The first time was a huge learning experience. And we need to make sure we don't make the same mistakes again.

I also need to learn how to avoid getting crowded. This time I nearly lost an eye in the jostling. But I thoroughly enjoyed the IPL experience.

I've always been a warm person. Being on the field with the boys made me understand the importance of solidarity on the job.Yeah I guess it has made a maturer person."