Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - May 2009 - Index

star TREK
In a happy space
Deepa Mehta’s Heaven
on Earth was released
in India as Videsh.
“I am proud to be a part of
Videsh,” says Preity Zinta.
“Not just because I won accolades
internationally, including
the Best Actress award at the
Chicago Film Festival, but because
of the film’s honesty.”
Videsh is not just a film about
spousal abuse, she says. “It dares
to touch a taboo subject which
we tend to brush under the
carpet. It has been adapted from
Girish Karnad’s Kannada play,
Nagamandala. Playing Chand
was a huge departure from what
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32 Desi News May 2009
I have done in the past. I had
reached the stage where I felt I
just could not take on yet
another NRI kind of role, play
someone who knows where she
is going and knows what she is
doing. I desperately wanted a
role which would take me to
another level.
“Deepa gave me a DVD of
the short film, Lets Talk About
It, which revolves around five
battered women as a reference
point for me about abuse. I was
appalled by what I saw. That
boys who have grown up
watching their parents fighting
with one another and their
AUTHENTIC CUSTOMER APPRECIATION
fathers beating their mothers
think that it’s okay if they too
beat their wives. That girls who
grow up watching their mothers
being beaten assume that this
is how it is, that this is the norm.”
Zinta asserts that competition
does not scare her. “I
said this ten years ago when I
began my journey as an actress
with Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se
and I say this today: There will
always be someone who is
hungrier than you, standing
“Whoever wins in the world’s largest democracy,
Madras Palace always wins the desi vote in the GTA.”
M ADRAS PALACE
1249 1249 Ellesmere Ellesmere Road, Road, Scarborough Scarborough (Midland and Brimley) 416-759-5400
15 15 W WWertheim
W ertheim Court, Court, Richmond Richmond Hill Hill (Hwy 7 & Leslie) 905-881-6222
COUR TESY TIFF
• LEFT: Preity Zinta with Deepa
Mehta on the sets of Heaven on
Earth. BELOW: A still from the film.
right behind you. Competition
goes with the territory in the
film industry.
“Today, I have bigger mountains
to climb and it would be
sad if I were to start comparing
myself to the new actresses just
emerging on the scene. Most of
the roles I turned down because
I did not like them were picked
up some of these actresses – I
would rather not name either
the actresses or the films!
“I am in a very content, happy
space as an actress. There
has been tremendous growth
within me. I confess that this
was not the case even two years
ago when I felt frustrated – at
one point in my life I felt I was
stagnating.
“I do not want to grab every
film that I am offered. I have
one film on hand, Har Pal, with
Shiney Ahuja. Talks are also on
also for a film with Yash Raj.”
The decision to shift the
venue of ongoing IPL matches
away from India has not dampened
Zinta’s spirits as a team
owner. “Why should shifting
the matches affect us? We are
just as enthusiastic as last year
when the matches were held in
India. As an Indian and an IPL
team owner, I completely
respect any concerns the
authorities may have and
respect their decision, and hope
for the best. Elections are the
number one priority in this
country.” – V. ANANTH