child play-preity zinta

Kids' stuff: Preity Zinta loves letting her hair down with children

Child's play

Preity Zinta plans to have a day out with children below 15, next week

Subhash K Jha

Preity Zinta who's currently in Goa shooting a commercial, will return to Mumbai in time to give kids under 15 a time of their life, with a screening of Jaan-E-Mann next week. Children from Make A Wish Foundation and other charitable organisations will be part of this soiree.

"After Koi…Mil Gaya, Jaan-E-Mann is another child-friendly film. Since I'm here for one of my releases after a long time, I want it to be a special occasion," she says. Why only kids? "I want to have a blast. Kids love you unconditionally. They won't come to the film with pre-conceived notions. More than that I wanted to give kids from the Make A Wish Foundation and other charitable institutions a reason to smile. From kids from corporate families to under-privileged children, they'll all going to have a ball with me. There'll be a party before the screening and this will be followed by games and lots of surprises. Sorry, no grown-ups allowed. I want to let my hair down and have a blast. I want to jump around and dance and sing with the kids. I'm so excited."

Jaan-E-Mann elicits high marks for its director from Preity. "Shirish Kunder is a man of a few words, but has a strong visual sense. Sometimes during the shooting I wasn't sure of what he was doing. We'd rehearse and then I'd wonder where it was all heading. But then I'd see the final shot and understand what he was getting at."

Preity shot simultaneously for KANK and Jaan-E-Mann. "Both films were partly shot in New York. But because I was so made-up in KANK I kept my look and make-up very simple in Jaan-E-Mann. KANK was more about power-dressing. In Jaan-E-Mann I'm more soft and feminine," she says.

After the tensions of playing a woman on the brink of divorce in KANK, Jaan-E-Mann helped Preity unwind. "One barely saw me smile in KANK. I play a much happier character in Jaan-E-Mann. In KANK I was fighting with my favourite actor, Shah Rukh, which wasn't easy. To be up against him was very taxing."

Preity enjoyed the experience of working with Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan in Jaan-E-Mann. "I worked with Akshay in Sangharsh many years ago. I loved working with him then, and now too. He'd be on the sets at 5 in the morning, and I'd ask him, 'Don't you have a life?' I've never seen him lose his cool. He's wonderful, always happy at work. As for Salman, I've worked in three films with him before this. Salman has his own style. He stands out in crowd," she says.

Preity shares a very special bonding with Abhishek. "He and I had little bits together in Salaam Namaste and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. But Shaad Ali's Jhoom Barabar Jhoom is our first full-fledged film together. I've come back from London loving him even more. He's so adorable. As for Bobby, no, I wouldn't exactly call him chatty."

thats nice of her to get out and make little kids happy..btw..that dude in the blue looks familiar i wonder who he is