Actor Preity Zinta is making her Bollywood comeback after an eight-year break. For Zinta, however, the gap was never really about staying away from cinema. Instead, it gave her the opportunity to experience life beyond films. She began working at the age of 18 and spent years constantly moving between film sets. Her first major break came when she became a mother and embraced a quieter life in the US. Her decision to return to acting was therefore not driven by a strong urge to get back on screen, but by the arrival of roles that felt right.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Zinta said, “I don’t want to lie and say I missed films. You know, I started working when I was very young, when I was just 18, and I worked non-stop for the longest time. So this is the first time I took a big pause in my life. I was enjoying having a family, children, and being a mother. You have to be more involved.”
Her years away from movies also reshaped her priorities. She described life in the US as slower-paced and said motherhood had become the most important role in her life. Asked whether her children are aware of their mother’s celebrity status, Zinta smiled and said, “They are just four. Life is also much slower, but I have my best role to play -- as a mother. It’s a lot of work, patience, which I am still working on.”
Her twins, Gia and Jai, are now four years old, but the 51-year-old actor has consciously kept them away from the glare that comes with fame. “They’re four years old. And I would like them to keep growing up [without being put under the spotlight]. I wouldn’t want them to be, you know, I would like them to have a regular life as much as they can,” she said.
Zinta’s return to the big screen has brought two films in quick succession. Following Batwara 1947, she is now appearing in Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe, in which she explores comedy and action in a way she has not done before. Explaining what attracted her to the project, the actor said, “I think it’s always instinctive. I always wanted to do action. And I am grateful to Kunal for even conceiving a role like this, and thinking about me. I don’t think it was all roses because even for me, working in this kind of setup, as much as I was very excited to do it, it was something so different to me that I was understanding Madam H each day as it came.”
The Hindi film industry has undergone considerable changes during her absence, with the presence of a star no longer being enough to draw audiences. Streaming platforms have transformed viewing habits, while theatrical releases have become increasingly unpredictable. Her comeback film Batwara 1947 also failed to make the box-office impact that some had anticipated. Zinta, however, believes the basic principle of the film business remains the same: a strong script will always find viewers, even though the circumstances surrounding filmmaking have changed considerably.
“While a lot has changed, one thing that has remained intact since the 50s is that a good script will always work. Now there’s a lot of competition in terms of online viewing, so that has changed patterns for sure. Life has become tougher, so people are waiting and not watching a lot of films in theatres. Piracy has also become a bigger menace. It happened with the last film also. Within the next day of its release, it was all over the internet,” she said while discussing the performance of Batwara 1947.
She further stressed the importance of audiences supporting theatrical releases. “It’s important for people to support films in theatres so that we can go back to making films. Today it’s very difficult to make a film. You have longer hours. There’s so much more stress. Everybody wants to cut costs because people are not going that much to the theatres. So that way, this film was very refreshing. Considering how life has become so difficult, it’s easier to sit through a fun film. Just come watch our film, and it will dispel all your problems.”
Written and directed by Kunal Kemmu, Vibe is scheduled to arrive in theatres on September 18. The film also features Sparsh Srivastava and debutant Vanshika Dhir.
