Preity Zinta: ‘I Didn’t Miss Movies’

‘I was enjoying having a family. It was new to me. Having kids. I was focusing on my personal life.’
‘However big my career milestones might be, my greatest milestone was to have children and a family.’

Photograph: Kind courtesy Preity Zinta /Instagram

After staying away from Hindi cinema for eight years, Preity Zinta is set to make her screen return with Batwara 1947. The Rajkumar Santoshi directed and Aamir Khan produced Partition drama marks her reunion with Sunny Deol.

As Preity walks into the room for the interview, she brings the same warm smile and dimples that audiences have adored for years.

“Good to see you all…,” she cheerfully greets the journalists, making the room feel just how nice it is to have her back.

In the conversation that followed, Preity spoke candidly about family, motherhood, why she stepped away from films, and whether this comeback could lead to more projects in Bollywood.

“I am grateful I have a very cool husband who is okay with me going off for two months and coming back, especially with little kids,” Preity says, as Mayur Sanap/Rediff listens in.

After such a long break, what made Batwara 1947 the right film for your return?

I was getting calls for stories and films, but I just didn’t want to do them.

First, I thought this would be some cool comedy because I didn’t know the script.

Then, Aamir called me because we have been talking. I told him I am not working actually. And he said, ‘Hear the script. It’s Rajji.’

That’s when I heard the script, and as soon as the last dialogue was said, I was like, ‘Okay, I am going to do this.’

‘There was very limited choice for people, especially for women’

IMAGE: A scene from Batwara 1947.

What moved you most about the story?

It is not about what is happening here and there, it is about what is happening in our house.

When world events happen and when you are going through the situation, your first instinct is, ‘My family and me.’ And then how different families, how different people react.

When I heard the script, there were two things. I was very excited about working with Rajji. I was dying to do a period film. I always romanticised period films. How it would be to live there? What would be the world? What would be the clothes? What would be the food? You know, you are always so curious.

Whenever we were doing a scene, I used to tell Rajji, ‘Rajji, what should I do now?’

He used to say, ‘Preity, you make food.’

Next scene, ‘Preity, you clean.’

Next scene, ‘Preity, you do stitching.’

I said, ‘Rajji, come on…’

And he goes, ‘This is 1947! The only career you can have is of a freedom fighter. There is no career. Your career is your husband. Your career is your child. Your career is your house.’

When I finished the film, I came back to my house and said I am so grateful I am born in this time and in this country because we have so much.

When you look back, people had a lot of pain and resilience. But today, especially as a woman, I have so much gratitude that I am born here.

We have opportunity.

You can work.

You can be married wherever you want.

You have choice.

There was very limited choice for people, especially for women. As a woman, your whole choice started and ended with your family.

The other thing I really find beautiful is that in the darkest of times, even the room can be as dark as it is, but there is one ray of light. There is hope for humanity. However dark and horrible the world can be, one person, one family, if they have this, there is hope.

I think that’s what keeps us going. Imagine a life without hope. Hope matters in dark times.

‘Sunny is still shaant‘

IMAGE: Preity Zinta and Sunny Deol in The Hero: Love Story of a Spy.

We have only seen you recently at cricket grounds. Did you miss acting while you were away from films?

(Smiles) I didn’t miss it, to be honest. I don’t want to lie and say yes, I did. I didn’t.

I was enjoying having a family. It was new to me. Having kids. I was focusing on my personal life.

However big my career milestones might be, my greatest milestone was to have children and a family. That’s why I could identify with this film. Even though it’s 2026, my number one priority still is family. So imagine in 1947 how it must be.

It is a very different worldview with a different lens in those times.

Were you nervous facing the camera again after so many years?

There were a lot of nerves.

I had never worked with him before (points at Rajkumar Santoshi). I was always excited about working with him. Then he tortured me on day one by putting the most difficult scene of the film on the first day.

I was just looking at him and shaking. What should I do now?

I have to say, not because he is sitting here, but he is a wonderful, big-hearted, kind, decent, good human being to work with. Sunny was really was like, ‘Don’t worry. He loves retakes. It’s okay. Relax.’

I remember (before the film started) I got off a plane, my bags didn’t come, we did the look test, and the next day we were shooting. But after that, it felt easier because when you have done the most difficult scene first, everything else becomes easier.

What was it like working with Sunny Deol after a long time?

Thank God, nothing has changed.

He has always been a really good actor. He is still exciting. He still gets great food. He’s still shaant.

The only thing was that I’d never done a scene with him where he loses it. All of us were shaking!

For me, this film would have been very difficult if I didn’t have that comfort zone because everything felt so foreign and different.

The only two people I really knew were him (Sunny) and Santosh Sivan (Cinematographer).

I have never worked with Shabanaji (Shabana Azmi) before. She was wonderful.

I have always been a huge fan of A R Rahman sir, but met him only once, during Dil Se.. I remember I was so eager to meet him that I asked to meet him, and everybody around me was like ‘calm down, it’s okay’ (smiles).

Aamir, of course, was great, but I never saw him. He never came on sets… he came one time.

‘What’s the point of everything if you are not there for your children?’

IMAGE: Preity Zinta and husband Gene Goodenough. Photograph: Kind courtesy Preity Zinta/Instagram

Now that you have returned, will we see you doing more films or web series?

I am not sure about series because they take too much time and I have very little kids.

But anything that excites me, I would love to do. I am grateful I have a very cool husband who is okay with me going off for two months and coming back, especially with little kids.

I don’t know about series because if you stay here for six to eight months, what’s the point of everything if you are not there for your children?

A lot of people work because they don’t have choice. But when you have a choice, you have to make the right one.

My choice now would be, at least till my kids are very little, that I don’t want to be too away from them.

What values do you hope your children grow up with?

My kids are half Indian and half American, but culturally, they are 100 per cent Indian.

Mostly the values come from the mother, because it’s just the way it is. Mothers are more involved, especially when the kids are young.

I want my kids to take best values from both countries.

Before (becoming a mother), I had a million opinions that it should be like this and that. But now I have realised the limitations you have.

You can’t control anybody. You can just try your best as a parent.