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Preity goes pretty off-track
The bubbly actress needs to get her act together. Pronto.
- PUBLISHED: Fri 7 Jun 2013, 11:25 AM UPDATED: Tue 21 Nov 2023, 11:27 AM
With Ishkq in Paris tanking big-time, and Zinta getting too involved in production and IPL, she's putting her core competence - acting - on the backburner
Currently, she has just one acting assignment on her plate. And her first bid at producing a star vehicle for herself - a romantic truffle titled Ishkq in Paris - has tanked, both commercially and critically. She has landed herself in a zone that's bleak but not entirely to the point of no-hope. The 38-year-old actress, who had amassed a strong fan base for herself in a career spanning over 15 years and as many as 30 films, could surely rise from the ashes - if she concedes to a reality check.
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The rapid rise of Preity Zinta to the top rung of stardom is the stuff that Bollywood dreams are made of. A post-graduate in the unusual field of criminal psychology, the girl from Shimla, a picturesque hill-town in northern India, had everything going for her: plum projects with Shah Rukh, Saif and Salman Khan, Bobby and Sunny Deol, and Hrithik Roshan, besides a shelf-full of awards for her debut in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se and then for her performance in Kal Ho Naa Ho. Indeed, the show world seemed to be at her feet. Fame, alas, is double-edged sword.
Along with mounting popularity, Preity appeared to have become arrogant, to the extent of phoning newspaper editors to yell at them for stories which she insisted were unfounded. Once courteous, she had become rude and insolent, particularly whenever the papers reported about her relationship with the industrialist Ness Wadia. Plus, she tolerated little or no criticism even if she delivered a performance which tended to go over-the-top.
Moreover, when she became involved in the ownership of an IPL cricket team, the actress with an undeniably buoyant screen presence sidetracked her acting career. Her core competence was placed on hold in favour of the IPL team, which didn't exactly do her proud when it came to scoring triumphs on the cricket grounds. To add to her cup of woes, there was a sudden break-up with Ness, her beau of many years, who's reputed to be extremely commitment-phobic.
Despite a checkered phase, both in her professional and private lives, you have to hand it to her for completing a film which was assailed by difficulties. Midway through the filming, Prem Raj, the young director of Ishkq in Paris, had to go through treatment for a terminal illness. Fortunately, Raj battled the illness successfully and is back on his feet.
The film's release was inordinately delayed, also owing to the market pressures of finding sufficient number of shows at the multiplexes. Unfazed, Preity launched a publicity campaign for her debut production which narrates the story of a couple who meet on a train, en route from Rome to Paris.
They spend the night scouring the streets and cafes of Paris, promising each other never to meet again - a plot device obviously borrowed from Before Sunrise. Expectedly, the couple do meet again and have to handle that old-fashioned feeling called 'love'. Snag is that the girl - named Ishkq if you please - detests the very notion of marriage but her suitor doesn't.
Oddly, the charismatic French actress Isabelle Adjani portrays the mother of Preity Zinta (the two do have a vague facial resemblance), but looks terribly ill-at-ease. Adjani is even shown speaking in stilted, sing-song Hindi, which is unintentionally hilarious.
Far too self-indulgent, Ishkq in Paris revolves without a minute of relief around Preity Zinta, parading micro-mini skirts despite the wintry weather on the French locations. Her hero - Rhehaan Maliek - is much too stiff and bland to strike up any chemistry with Preity.
Truly, Preity Zinta still commands enough goodwill in Bollywood. Salman Khan even shows up to shake a leg in a guest role. There's no reason why she can't return to doing what she's best at - acting. Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi and Juhi Chawla, who are more senior than her, have lately revived their careers. So could the girl from the Shimla, if she doesn't get embroiled in the responsibilities which come with the complex task of film production. She is credited with co-writing the story of Ishkq in Paris. She shouldn't have. You like Preity best in front of the camera, unhassled and uncomplicated.
So here's an unsolicited suggestion: please don't delay the damage control. The audiences want their peppy Preity back, and pronto.
