I'm treating IPL like a film: Preity Zinta

Indian Premier League has got the imagination of every cricket fan across the world. CNN-IBN spoke to the owners of King’s XI Punjab, better known as the Mohali IPL

team, Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia.

Meha Bhardwaj: Are you happy you’ve got just about everybody you wanted on the team, be it Sreesanth, Brett Lee…

Preity Zinta: Irfan Pathan, Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Piyush Chawla...yes you’re right. We’ve got everybody we wanted. Thank God we already had Yuvi on the team.

Meha Bhardwaj: I know commercial interest is fine but…

Preity Zinta: I’m purely in for the game. I’ve been a sportsperson all my life and I think it’s time for some action now.

Meha Bhardwaj: And how much is Ness influencing you in this?

Preity Zinta: I think we have all influenced each other. I’m really lucky to be supported by such wonderful friends and partners. It’s a long journey.

Meha Bhardwaj: I want to take you guys back to the auction days. So much was happening. There was this whole talk about the kind of money that was going to be involved, the kind of money we’ve never heard of and suddenly you have players being sold off. As an Indian viewer, people were glued to television channels because they had never seen anything like this. So when you were sitting inside, what was going on inside – like putting in one crore…

Preity Zinta: This department was with Ness and Tom. I think they did a fantastic job and thanks to them and our coach we have the best team.

Ness Wadia: There was a lot of planning like any business meeting or pitch. So we went through it (our strategy) two-three times and also on the phone during lunch time. I think we had strategies in place. Most important thing was that we were not interested in pushing other people’s prices up. We were really interested in getting the players we wanted to get. We were so focussed on what we were doing, frankly speaking, the rest didn’t really matter. Of course, there’s luck as well.

Meha Bhardwaj: Were you also involved in the technical bit like — we are going to have three all-rounders, etc?

Preity Zinta: Of course, that’s team strategy.

Meha Bhardwaj: Were you a part of it as well Preity?

Preity Zinta: Honestly, on the table two nights before, it was all going above my head. So I sat back when it came to things I didn’t know about.

Meha Bhardwaj: How did the Brett Lee and Sreesanth happen? Did you go for Sreesanth because of the character he brings to the game?

Preity Zinta: No we have a fast wicket and on fast wicket we need fast bowlers. Of course, the strategy was put together by Tom and Ness. And there was budget to be considered too.

Ness Wadia: I think Sreesanth is one of the better players today in the Indian team. He’s been through that first high and now he’s sort of coming off, not into a low but in sort of a lull like most sportsmen do where they start thinking where am I, what’s happened etc. I’m pretty sure he is going to bounce back, and as far as the selection strategy was: everyone had 10 players and there was a number to be pulled out and whichever number came out, that was the number for bidding. So when we were looking at spinners, we were short of spinners and we had no spinners left. We had Ramesh Powar and Piyush Chawla, so we just wanted to safeguard ourselves and we took a lot of decisions which were risking our model as opposed to just going and buying for the sake of buying.

Meha Bhardwaj: Preity, are you going to be involved in just about everything when it comes to IPL. I’m not saying movie are going to take a backseat, but for the moment, before the launch and before the tournament begins, is Preity Zinta’s life about King’s XI for the moment?

Preity Zinta: Absolutely. King’s XI Punjab, is a team of Punjab and there cannot be a chance we don’t mention Punjab. It’s not a country playing another country. It’s a state playing another state. In Bombay, people have already started calling me K11P, as they do it in the film industry. But yes, I’m treating IPL like a film. I’m dedicating three months of my life to it till the tournament gets over and then I will go back to films. I have four films releasing this year. So it is a very exciting year for me in terms of film as well as cricket. Hopefully, we will win the tournament.

Meha Bhardwaj: Are you worried that the timing of these games are going to be in the evenings when people will be flocking to the stadiums instead of watching your films?

Preity Zinta: I’m going to tell all my producers to not release any movie between 19 April and 30 May. It will be suicide.

Meha Bhardwaj: Your very good friend Shah Rukh Khan owns another team Knight Riders. Now when you have conversations with Shah Rukh do you say — Oh you know what? We’re going to beat you hollow because we have Brett Lee. Do you have any of these friendly banters?

Preity Zinta: The only friendly banter we have is Kolkata and Mohali are coming to finals.

Meha Bhardwaj: Ness, any regrets about any players you wanted but could not get — like Dhoni went for a huge sum of six crore?

Ness Wadia: Our focus was not to have too many international players. We focussed on Indians who could play.

Meha Bhardwaj: Did you think during the auction that it was nicer to get these Indian players because at the end of the day people here welcome them in stadiums?

Preity Zinta: We are Indians. I mean, come on, you put me in a stadium and tell me are you going to cheer for Pathan or for Yuvi as opposed to Gilchrist? No offence, they are lovely cricketers. It is like when you go to an ozzie crowd and have Indians play there with them. They will first cheer for their home heroes and then they will cheer for the other guys.

Meha Bhardwaj: But you’ve got international players. Are you are happy with them?

Ness Wadia: We are happy with international players and we also have a lot of young Indian players below the Sreesanths and Pathans and Yuvis of the world. I think we’ve got a good mix.

Meha Bhardwaj: On the parting note, for everybody who is watching this show, what about would you like to say about King’s XI Punjab? What’s the message you want to give to your viewers?

Ness Wadia: I think the first thing we’re going to cricket fans is a great cricket team. We’ve got a lot of entertainment. We’ve got the likes of Brett Lee and Sreesanth, Yuvraj and India’s greatest all-rounder Irfan Pathan. So I think you will see a very Indian team. You’ll also see a lot of youngsters coming in. We’ve got guys like Tanmay Srivastava and Ajitesh Argal. Then there’s a young emerging cricketer Yash Gandhi who’s scored 365 runs. So this is basically a team for the people of India. It is a team which has a lot more Indians than the rest. It is India’s pride.

Preity Zinta: For me, it’s live Punjabi, play Punjabi. So we’re in Punjab and the spirit of Punjab means always having a huge heart and being very hospitable, and being a little crazy and having lots of fun. It’s young, it’s dynamic, it’s fun and we’re going to go and win the cup!

Not just glamour girls, Bollywood women get into business too

New Delhi, April 29 (IANS) If the men are doing it so are the women. From opening restaurants to starting hotels, actresses are also blurring the lines between the worlds of Bollywood and business. While actors like Mithun Chakraborty, Shah Rukh Khan and Suniel Shetty are thriving in the business world, their counterparts Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai and Preity Zinta are also giving them tough competition.

Sushmita was probably the first to turn entrepreneur when she set up her company Sensazione in 2006. Through her company, she plans to open a chain of hotels, lounges and spas. Besides, she has acquired 12,000 sq ft of space in Kolkata for a ‘lifestyle zone’, which apart from a huge open space will house a nightclub, a restaurant and a cigar lounge.

She says frankly that she was tired of being an actor and business had always been a second career option.

“Had I not been an actor, I would have been an entrepreneur. The lounge bar in Kolkata and my dream project, the spa, are all part of my effort to touch people’s lives,” the actress has been quoted as saying.

Sushmita has other plans too.

Under the banner of her production house Tantra Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the ex-Miss Universe also wants to make meaningful films. Her first venture is “Rani Lakshmi Bai - The Warrior Queen”. The actress, who is directing as well as acting in the film, is currently busy with the pre-production work of the historical epic.

Her colleague Preity Zinta has become co-owner of the Mohali cricket team of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with partner Ness Wadia and two others. She is determined to make a go of it and says: “When I do anything in life for the first time, I want to succeed.”

“It’s 2008! Women should get more active in business. It’s very different from working on a film where you’re on your own when ‘action’ is called on camera. In a boardroom, there’s constant conference and multi-tasking. The creative process is different in both the spheres.”

And Aishwarya Rai, according to reports, has stepped in to resurrect father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan’s company AB Corp and is negotiating with filmmakers to restart production work.

Then there is Ayesha Takia who with restaurateur boyfriend Farhan Azmi is set to launch their first boutique hotel in Goa.

“It’s a dream come true for Farhan and I. We have been planning to do something together for the past year,” Ayesha said in a press announcement.

The couple has acquired a 200-year-old Portuguese bungalow in Candolim, which is just 10 minutes away from the beach. They plan to build a luxurious swimming pool, a lounge area and are working out details on how to entertain guests with good music and superb cuisine.

“Each of our boutique hotels will have 20 rooms,” Ayesha has said.

Her appreciative boyfriend adds: “Ayesha is interested in doing other things rather than just acting which is so great.”

There are others too — for instance, Raveena Tandon is contributing significantly to the running of her husband Anil Thadani’s film distribution business.

Former actress Twinkle Khanna is a successful interior designer and won the Elle Décor International Design Award. She floated a company called Mock-Ups that specialises in interior decoration, designing and executing spaces. Besides designing homes and offices, she also owns an interior designing store - the White Window - in Mumbai.

In 1940, legendary actress Devika Rani tried her hand at business by taking the charge of Bombay Talkies after her husband’s death, but she had to face failure.

But the new brigade is set to rewrite the rules.

Kings reign over hearts but fail to conquer

PL: Daler Mehndi enthralls audience, Yuvraj and Dhoni remain crowd favourites

It was the ‘karmyudh’. Kings XI Punjab led by local hero Yuvraj Singh took on MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and the stadium could hardly contain its excitement.

It had the settings and the flavour of a festival — the dhol, bhangra, cheer-leaders, a star performance by Daler Mehndi and the Bollywood superstar Preity Zinta’s nervous presence. It was the much-anticipated carnival for the Tri-city.

Even though the PCA Stadium was far from being packed to capacity, a group of around 100 dancers did a 15-minute bhangra sequence followed by fluttering flags with the Kings XI Punjab team slogan ‘Live Punjabi’ and ‘Play Punjabi’ written on them.

Then it was Daler Mehndi’s turn to enthrall the audience, singing the Kings XI Punjab’s theme song ‘Panga na lena’ and also few hits from his famous albums.

As the evening progressed, the stadium began to fill. From the cricketing point of view, the match was a spectacle to behold, with 24 sixes and 35 fours hit during the match.

Once the floodlights came on, the crowd went crazy and started whistling and dancing in the aisles. It was a grand cricket party.

Beer mugs were the order of the day. Young girls were going gaga over Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, while Murali was the favourite among the children. Yuvraj and Dhoni remained the crowd favourites.

Zinta was seen biting her nails out of sheer nervousness while her team chased a tough target of 241 runs.

Yuvraj did manage to lustily hit a couple of blows but he could neither repeat his ‘six-sixers’ feat nor could he win the match for his team. Once his wicket fell, the crowd went silent with disappointment.

Though Sangakkara and Hopes kept the crowd’s hopes up till the end, the target remained tough to achieve. Right after the defeat of Kings XI Punjab, people deserted the stadium.

In the next round, the Kings XI Punjab will play Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians on April 25 and most certainly, people will be hoping their favourite son Yuvraj Singh to make a come back.

Wins and losses are part of the game, says Preity The day finally dawned when Preity’s team — Kings XI Punjab — played their first match in IPL and she was all charged up for the D-day. Dressed in a white tee, Preity Zinta had her team’s logo on tees’s back. As Yuvraj Singh walked off to the centre pitch for the toss, Preity closed her eyes and was seen praying with folded hands. To her dismay, Yuvi lost the toss. But she, along with her franchisee and real life partner Ness Wadia, wished luck to Yuvi’s boys when they took to the field. Throughout the match, Priety showed signs of nervousness, excitement, and after the match’s disastrous results, resentment. She, however, said sportingly, “Wins and losses are part of the game, we will come all guns blazing in our next outing.”

Bollywood takes a back seat

Like other leading South Africans, Herschelle Gibbs won’t be in at the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this week, but he is itching to get a chance to show off his Twenty20 skills in the company of the best players of the world.

The tournament that could revolutionise cricket starts on Friday and apart from being the most hyped cricket event in history, it could be among the most viewed.

Every match will be shown live by SuperSport in South Africa, while the Indian investors who have spent so extravagantly clearly expect millions of Indians to be following the games.

“I’m going to tell all my producers to not release any movie between April 19 and May 30. It will be suicide,” said Preity Zinta, a Bollywood actress and joint- owner of the Mohali-based Kings XI Punjab franchise, one of only two of the eight teams that has not signed at least one South African.

Gibbs and other SA stars will have to wait until they have finished their Standard Bank Pro20 obligations before they fly out to India.

With Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, JP Duminy and Monde Zondeki all available, more than half the Cape Cobras players who helped their side qualify for the semifinals could be jettisoned for the knockout stages, which culminate in the final on April 25.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see who plays for us in the semifinals,” said Gibbs, whose own contributions to the franchise’s success have been patchy.

Gibbs has been in touch with the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chargers team that signed him for 575000 a season. “They say it’s no problem for me to join them a bit late. If the Cobras reach the final I will probably miss three games.”

He’s not sure whether his late arrival will have an impact on his pay packet.

What he is sure about is that the IPL will be spectacular. The Hyderabad side looks particularly exciting with explosive batsmen such as Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds and Shahid Afridi, as well as Gibbs himself in the line-up.

“It’s a combination which could do serious damage to bowling line-ups,” said Gibbs. The downside is that the Chargers’ bowling attack , spearheaded by Chaminda Vaas and RP Singh, is not the most formidable among the franchises.

“I expect the standard will be very high,” said Gibbs. “For any international player, your reputation is always at stake when you go out on the field.”

For Gibbs, 34, the IPL is a financial bonanza, especially now that his Test career may be over, but he says that playing good cricket remains what he most wants to do.

“The Test side is looking like a settled combination and Neil McKenzie (who took Gibbs’s opening batsman berth) has played really well. I’m very happy for Neil. I’ve known him a long time and I’m glad he has got this chance.”

Gibbs said he hadn’t completely given up on playing Test cricket again. “I’m taking it day by day. I had a brief chat with Mickey (Arthur) when I was in Bangladesh and he indicated he was keen to have a few experienced players for the tour of England.”

Gibbs, who remains a probable choice for the one-day part of the tour, has produced some of his best performances in England. His consistency on an SAA team tour in 1996 earned him his first call-up for the national team, he shone at the 1999 World Cup and he was one of the stars of the 2003 Test series.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing in England. It’s a tour everyone wants to go on, but I would rather be playing cricket than watching.”

Gibbs explained the latter remark by saying there were “one or two offers” which could see him playing in England this year, whether he is a member of the Test squad or not. “There is a possibility of some county stuff. There are one or two decisions that have to be made.”

First, though, there is a titl

How IPL has changed cricket forever

Woh 44 Days!

The event that every cricket fan – and even those not normally interested in the game – has been waiting for a long time is almost upon us. The cash-rich Indian Premier League will commence at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on April 18, and for the next 44 days interest will be riveted on the 59 matches to be contested between eight teams. The participants are a mix of Indian and foreign superstars, recently retired stars and Indian talent of the future; and the tournament which has attracted considerable attention is tipped to attract large crowds, a record TV audience and reap unprecedented revenue.

In pic: Indian industrialists Vijay Mallya (L), Ness Wadia (R), IPL official Lalit Modi (2nd L) and Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan (C) and Preity Zinta pose during a news conference after the Indian Premier League`s (IPL) player auction in Mumbai. Reuters

Thin is in Bollywood

From Hollywood to Bollywood the latest craze in the Indian film industry is being slim and sexy. Forget Sri Devi and Madhuri Dixit who with their curves and wholesome beauty were the epitome of the classic Indian diva.

At the moment, winds are blowing in the opposite direction. The prerequisites of making a name in Bollywood a big secret known to all is to look slim and sexy.

The situation has gone so far that if youre a roly-poly then its better you start searching for an alternative, for the watch word here is looking thin. Well, on a positive note, no book has mentioned that being in shape is bad. But, like everything else, excess of anything is always harmful!

Anyways, so much so for the aspiring ones. Now lets cut to the B-world.

The B-world is abuzz with actresses dramatic makeovers. A very recent example of such a transition is that of Kareena Kapoor.

The Jab We Met actress, who has found new love in the arms of Saif Ali Khan, has transformed herself from thunder thighs to fitting into the smallest hot pants. And yes theres no denying that she looks hot in her ultra slim avataar.

“All the girls today, like Kareena is looking fit. It’s all due to yoga. She is not anorexic. She is very well-toned. I think it’s a requirement, which is based on presence of mind. Today the healthy lifestyle and fitter body is what in everybody’s mind, said Shonal Rawat, a supermodel.

Model turned actress Bipasha Basu also made the whole world go crazy over her super fit body which she very proudly showed off in Dhoom 2 and Race.

Following the footsteps were Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Esha Deol who looked hotter than ever after shedding all that extra flab.

The bubbly and effervescent Preity Zinta had every reason to boldly bare her midriff in the film Salaam Namsate.

Well, the ‘getting-skinny-with-it’ trend is certainly booming in Bollywood. And for now, our girls are content with losing weight, doing power yoga and dramatic makeovers. Hope that this competition doesnt go on any further than this otherwise there will be hell lot to pay. (ANI)

Preity Zinta in marketing overdrive, sells autographed IPL tickets

The Indian Premier League (IPL) team franchisees are in a marketing overdrive. With the league set to kick off on 18 April, Bollywood stars have got into the act.

After Shah Rukh Khan, it is Preity Zinta's turn to promote her Mohali team KingsXIPunjab. A step in this direction: Zinta and Australian speedster Brett Lee make themselves present to personally sell tickets with their autographs.

The tickets start as low as Rs 50 and move in the range of Rs 250, Rs 750, Rs 2000, Rs 3000 and Rs 7000. Seats in the North Pavilion will cost Rs 3000 while the student community can buy a ticket for as low as Rs 50. To grab a seat at the Pavilion Terrace, one will have to shell out Rs 2000 and for the A/c lounge Rs 7000.

KingsXIPunjab coach Tom Moody was also present. Tickets will also be available online at www.ticketpro.in and at Baskin Robbins, Planet M and Future Group's Pantaloon Factory, LeeCooper and Big Bazaars outlets across major cities like Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar apart from the box office of the PCA Stadium.

Zinta said, "It is great to see so many people turning up to buy tickets and joining us to support and cheer their team – KingsXIPunjab. Not only that, this is also an effort towards attracting new audiences to come and experience the excitement and thrill of this great game."

KingsXIPunjab is part of the eight competing teams promoted by the IPL. It is held and promoted by a consortium which includes Zinta and Industrialists Ness Wadia, Karan Paul and Mohit Burman. The team will be led by Yuvraj Singh, who is also the icon player.

The team is a mix of leading national and international players like Brett Lee, Irfan Pathan, Sree Santh, Piyush Chawla, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardane, Romesh Powar, James Hopes, VRV Singh, Kyle Mills, Luke Pomersvack, Uday Kaul, Yash Gandhi, Tanmay Srivastava, Karan Goel, Ajitesh Agral, Simon Katach, Sunny Sohal, Pankaj Dharmani, Sahil Kukreja, and Wilken Mota.

Bollywood glams up cricket

IPL has rewritten the rules of the game with American-style cheerleaders and movie mavens doing a song-and-dance before every match.

POLITICS and sports do not mix. Or should not mix. Right? How about sports and cinema? Well, sports and cinema have come together to serve up a heady cocktail for a cricket-crazy nation.

Without the presence of leading film stars, it is doubtful if the on-going cricket razzmatazz that is the Indian Premier League would have grabbed Indians.

So enduring is India’s love affair with cricket, that a relatively unknown television channel which successfully bid for the exclusive rights to what is easily the biggest sporting event in the history of this country has seen its viewership zoom sky high.

Commercials during the match telecasts have helped the channel recover a good part of the huge fees it paid to win the telecast rights.

IPL is also a huge success mainly due to its high off-field entertainment quotient.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni dispatching South African quickie Shaun Pollock for a huge six or Rahul Dravid having his woodwork scattered by Harbhajan Singh will always thrill cricket fans.

But now, it is the added bonus of the American-style cheerleaders doing their eye-catching jigs at the IPL matches, and Bollywood stars performing box-office hits, that has made the IPL a not-to-be-missed event.

For never before had Indian sports fans been offered such a wide variety of celebrity-driven entertainment. IPL has re-written the rules of the game. The bidding amount for individual players paid by rival teams in an open auction had set the tone for the IPL.

In roadside eateries and at village wells throughout the country, Indians marvelled open-mouthed at the astronomical sums that were paid to cricketers. Dhoni fetching 4 crore rupees (RM3.13mil) had the entire nation’s tongues wagging.

Quite cleverly the IPL format focuses as much on cricket as it does on the tamasha (entertainment events) that precede each match. The opener at Bangalore on April 18, for instance, was a star-studded affair.

The master showman and liquor king Vijay Mallaya, who owns the local team Royal Challengers laid out a veritable feast for the eyes.

Young foreign women appeared inside glass-like bubbles hung astride the stadium on hardly visible wires, cheerleaders from the Washington Red Skins performed alongside stiltwalkers and Bollywood biggies like Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta worked the capacity crowd which had crammed the stadium several hours before the start of the match. Zinta, incidentally, owns the IPL team, Kings IX Punjab, while Khan is co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Captains and owners of all the eight IPL teams appeared on the platform. All this while, eye-catching fireworks lent the sky a million hues.

In short, Day One of IPL, which, incidentally, saw Mallaya’s Royal Challengers going down tamely to the Riders, presaged a great future for the new form of city-based club cricket in India.

A strong note of dissent, however, was sounded by well-known cricket historian Ramchandra Guha.

Criticising the introduction of cheerleaders, Guha said: “All the organisers are doing by making scantily-clad white women dance in front of huge crowds is to stoke the base, voyeuristic and sexual insecurities of the Indian male ? it is revolting and shows the game in poor light.”

Echoing similar objections, an opposition leader in the Maharashtra legislature sought a ban on cheerleaders appearing in IPL matches in Mumbai.

Admittedly, cricket has taken a backseat to off-field entertainment but in time, hopefully, IPL will come to focus on the game.

Already, the IPL experiment is beginning to pay off insofar as hitherto talented but unknown regional players have received national exposure. This should undoubtedly enrich the national pool of cricketers for the selection of the Indian Eleven.

Weeks before the start of the IPL, television ads sought to whip up regional passions with fans of individual teams disdainfully spurning rival teams.

In a typical TV ad, a dentist, for instance, is shown maltreating a patient upon noticing that the latter supports a rival team.

In other words, IPL is a major brand-building project. Each team has roped in a high-octane brand ambassador. Kolkata Knight Riders is fortunate that it has its biggest brand ambassador in its owner Shah Rukh Khan.

The numero uno film hero along with wife Gauri and a whole contingent of his Bollywood friends occupy a part of the VIP stands in all matches featuring the Riders.

And, what is more entertaining for the crowds is that led by Khan the entire Bollywood crowd claps and dances to celebrate every little success of their team on the field. Similarly, Zinta is seen enthusiastically rooting for her Punjab Kings.

The Chennai Super Kings, owned by a local cement company, has roped in the current heartthrobs of the Tamil cinema for promotion.

Vijay and Nayantara appeared at the pre-launch promotional party for the Chennai team and if you did not know that it was for an IPL team you would have mistaken it for the premiere of a Tamil film.

Meanwhile, the Riders are leading the league table with Delhi and Chennai coming a close second and third, respectively.

However, it is still early days and team fortunes could change dramatically, given the glorious uncertainties of cricket.

Preity Zinta: Beyond Bollywood

The fact that Preity Zinta bid for an IPL team suggests she is not a run of the mill Bollywood actress. The fact that she won it suggests she 'Preity' much gets what she wants. Photo Credit: IANS/File

12 February 2008 (Sawf News) - The fact that Preity Zinta bid for an IPL team suggests she is not a run of the mill Bollywood actress. The fact that she won it suggests she 'Preity' much gets what she wants.

Zinta and her boy friend Ness Wadia won the bid for the Mohali team by committing a whopping $76 million and she understands that her foray into cricket is a big risk.

"I am not as rich as the other people in it. I don't have IPOs; I don't have public money. I was putting a lot of my hard-earned money," she told the Mumbai Mirror in an interview.

The reason why she took the risk is because "I have always believed that until you go to the edge of the cliff, you will not experience the thrill of life."

That is vintage Zinta for you.

She admits she has a lot to learn about the game.

"Believe me; I know only what are boundaries and sixers - but so what? Did I know anything about films when I got into Bollywood?" she asks.

The 33-year-old daughter of a former Army officer says she will attend every match that her team will play.

When quizzed what will become of her film career she jokes, "I will take the shooting to the stadium and shoot the matches."

"On a serious note, I have already adjusted my dates," she adds.

She may be a novice but has her instincts right. Her team captain, Yuvraj Singh, who is currently on tour in Australia with the Indian cricket team, has recently been in the news more for his interest in Bollywood debutante Deepika Padukone than his wielding of the willow.

Zinta is however unfazed by his poor form and a known attitude.

"How can anyone forget the six sixers he hit in a single over in T-20 competition?" she asks pragmatically.

Zinta shows some of the same pragmatism talking about her love life.

"I am a normal girl - I want to get married and have kids. But I can't get married just because everybody wants me to," she says.

Preity, Akshay join 'Unforgettable Tour'

Wizcraft International Entertainment announced two superstar entrants to their grandest, blockbuster world tour—‘The Unforgettable Tour: Experience the magic…’— led by Amitabh Bachchan. The performers include Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh.

This massive tour will have an array of today’s biggest stars descending onto the world stage with their scintillating performances, promising to bring alive the magic of Indian cinema. It will rock fans across 6 continents and 18 countries.

‘The Unforgettable’ world tour will commence in July and will take centre stage in mainstream international venues, promoted in conjunction with international partners and promoters.

Speaking on the occasion, Akshay Kumar said, “I am elated to be on ‘The Unforgettable Tour’ that will reach out to millions of Indian cinema fans across the world. Touring with Wizcraft and Amitji, I believe that fans will be in store for a great journey full of energy and excitement.” Audiences will also get to witness Akshay perform songs from his forthcoming film, Singh is Kinng.

Preity Zinta shared the same sentiments. “It’s indeed an honour to be a part of a show of such a great scale and calibre and to be onstage with the Bachchans and others,” she said. “It is always a delight to reach out to our fans and be a part of the tour, I intend on doing just that.”

Preity is my fav actress: Brett Lee

“Preity Zinta is my favourite actress and I'm not saying that because she is the co-owner of Kings XI Punjab,” said express bowler Brett Lee at the press conference of his debut film Victory in Jaipur.

Lee, along with Mike Hussey, Brad Hogg, Simon Katich, R P Singh, Praveen Kumar, Dinesh Karthick and Yousuf Pathan, played a competitive game under the luminous floodlights at the Sawai Maan Singh Stadium. While huge sixes were being lofted all over the park, director Ajit Pal canned one shot after another on his 35 MM camera, which was always at the risk of being smashed by one of Karthick's massive strikes.

Victory stars Harman Baweja in the role of a cricketer from a humble background rubbing shoulders with the best in the business. “For the first time you'll see real players playing in a film. Except for Harman, all other players are professional,” said producer Manmohan Shetty.

Incidentally, this happens to be his first production post the winding-up at Adlabs. Shetty hasn't coined a name for his production house (set up along with daughter Pooja) yet and, as for the budget of Victory, this is what he had to say, “It's a big budget film but we still don't know the exact amount as it is yet to be complete.”

Alright, let's bring you an 'ankhon dekha haal' of what really happened at this unusual location. There were no big delays, no starry tantrums from the film crew. Harman Baweja remained ensconced in the players’ dressing room and Brett Lee was the hero of the day.

Lee was the cynosure of all eyes and like a star he mingled with his fans, burst fire crackers and patiently answered queries from fan-like journos keen on knowing if he would soon sport a six-pack or eight-pack. “I am a cricketer,” he said. “Playing for Australia is my first love but there are so many other things that I like doing like fashion, music [he carried his guitar even to the stadium], watching movies and now being a part of it. When it releases in Australia there will be lots of laughs, lots of fun.” So, why did he agree to do Victory where he plays himself? “It is a fantastic script and hats off to the people who've written it.”

When quizzed about the recent altercations between Indian and Australian players, Lee diplomatically said, “The relations between Indian and Australian cricketers are brilliant. There have been a few bad instances, but these kind of things happen.”

Actor Dalip Tahil, who plays the coach of the Indian cricket team, light-heartedly jumped in at this moment: “We are trying to get Brett busy with Bollywood assignments so that he doesn't find time for cricket.”

Everyone wanted a piece of Lee. So Lee, would you sing for us? “Haan mein tumhara hoon aur tuhara hi rahoonga,” he sang, mouthing lines from the Asha Bhonsle song. And what's the best Hindi film you've ever watched? “Any film starring Preity Zinta,” he said with a chuckle. Talk about keeping your team leader in good humour.

Victory also stars Amrita Rao and Anupam Kher in pivotal roles. The music has been given by Anu Malik and it is slated to release in October 2008.

Preity Zinta a complete team girl

Many may think that Preity Zinta is not doing enough for the promotion of her IPL team Mohali's King's XI, but it's not true. Preity Zinta's team gets all the attention like any other teams, and even more, maybe because a woman is involved, and a big Bollywood star at that.

Preity manages and owns the team, and she plans to create all the tamasha herself. So while Vijay Mallya brings in cheerleaders from the US to grab a few eyeballs and to cheer for his Royal Challengers, Preity has to just be herself, and whistle and scream a bit to show her support. "My involvement with the team is total," she was quoted as saying, "I believe I am the team's good luck factor, so I want to be there for everything."

What Preity feels about Ash

Preity Zinta chose to be a part of Bachchan’s unforgettable tour for two reasons. Firstly, the concept sounds interesting and fun filled to her and secondly, she shares a good relationship with the Bachchans and holds them in a high esteem. She feels Aishwarya is cool and it would be wonderful performing with her.

She is very fond of Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan and happy to be a part of their show. She had shared screen space with Abhishek in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and feels he is a great buddy. Preity will be with the Bachchans throughout their 2-month tour while others like Shahid Kapoor, Akshay Kumar will perform only at selective places.

The show will kick start in July and they will perform across USA and Europe. Preity joined the Bachchans when Bipasha opted out after having monetary differences with Wizcraft. She has put down her film assignments on hold for IPL and will resume her work after returning from the tour. Now, she is busy with her Mohali team which is owned by her beau Ness Wadia.

Preity moves players to a smaller hotel

Preity Zinta at Mangal Pandey premierePreity Zinta and Ness Wadia are enjoying IPL to the fullest in terms of fun and unity. They are finding IPL as a unique opportunity to mingle with unknown people. Unable to accommodate all the players in a five star hotel, Preity and Ness moved seven players to a sub-standard hotel in Chandigarh. They had created such a rapport with them that the players were not at all disgusted with their move.

Earlier all the players were put up in the same hotel but later due to lack of accommodation, they were shifted to a sub-standard one. One among them is Gangadeep Singh. He confirmed the news that he was shifted to a smaller hotel which lacked in maintenance and other facilities. Most of the players shifted to a smaller hotel are under 19 cricketers. While special guests like Aarti and Kailash Surendranath, Timmy Narang, Lata Patel, Ness Wadia’s brother Jess Wadia were accommodated in a five star hotel.

However, Aarti Surendranath has confirmed that Preity and Ness are taking good care of the guests and looking after their comfort. Other than being a socialite, Preity should also encourage her players to play a better game since her Punjab Kings led by Yuvraj Singh has lost the two matches that they had played so far.

Preity almost lost her eye!

If you’ve been wondering why Preity is often seen in dark glasses at her IPL events in and out of Mohali, it’s not for reasons related to fashion.

A seemingly minor eye injury two weeks ago, blew up into a serious problem for Preity Zinta. “Anything could’ve happened,” she shudders.

“At an event in Mohali two weeks ago, a stranger’s elbow jabbed into my eye. I felt the room swim and the eye got swollen immediately. But, after an ice-pack treatment for a few hours, it seemed to be in control. Little did I know there was more in store,” says Preity.

In the next few days, Preity’s eye condition worsened. “The pupil acquired every colour in the rainbow, and the cornea shrank. I was in a state of panic and my mother was so worried. Finally, I went to a really good doctor – the same one who looks after the Bachchans’ eyes, and now, my eye has healed,” she reveals. Now, Preity intends to maintain a safe distance from the crowds during her public appearances in Mohali.
Meanwhile, the Bachchans and Preity seem to have bonded in more ways than one.

And the bonding gets stronger now that Preity joins them on their world tour. “I’m very fond of Jayaji and Amitji. And Abhishek is a chum. I also think Aishwarya is very cool. I’ll be joining them on their world tour in July and am really looking forward to it,” says Preity.

Unlike the other actors like Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapur who would be making ppearances at selected venues, Preity will be accompanying the Bachchans throughout their two-month tour. Several other actresses, after giving a verbal commitment, have opted out of the tour.

Preity brushes off any suggestion of largesse. “I don’t know why the other actresses aren’t going. The Bachchans are my buddies. They asked me and I agreed, as simple as that. In fact, I’ve been on a world tour with them before and I had a ball. I’m looking forward to this one too. And I do not care who’s going with them or not.”

What she does care about are the ongoing IPL matches in Mohali, and not only for the matches. “The people there are so warm and friendly. Ness and I have begun to care for the town. While the others in the IPL have got developed cities, we’re the only ones who were given a town that’s still growing. And we’re so proud to be part of that growth. Mohali is an air-force base, so only IAF planes land there. There’s already talk of an international airport and several luxury hotels in the town, all thanks to the IPL.”

Mughal-e-Azam

I have so much respect for this movie.

I finally got to sit down and watch Mughal-E-Azam after hearing so many references to it on other blogs and films. Because most Hindi classics take me some time to sink into, I expected this to be a bit of a struggle, yet was dedicated to make it all the way through. To my surprise, this took very little effort. It was just like a fairy tale...a handsome prince, an elegant palace, even a cunning villain. I truly enjoyed watching it.

My copy was in color, so I'm judging this without seeing the black and white original, but there was something about the fake-looking candy-coated hues in this film that I found comforting. From Madhubala's face to the dance sequences to the flowers and feathers, the whole look of the film was as magical as a classic should be. And considering that Hindi cinema prides itself in beautiful visuals, my expectations were high for a Bollywood staple like Mughal-E-Azam. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.



But Mughal-E-Azam was more than just flashy. Some of the scenes were unforgettable, with subtle details that added just the right touch. For example, the message passed in the lotus flower was a sweet idea, and Anarkali's entrance as a statue was impressionable. The scene where Prince Salim caresses Anarkali's face with a white feather was touching and erotic, containing little direct physical contact by the lovers. Finally, the sequence were Anarkali "drugs" the prince at their pseudo celebration was filled with appropriate foreboding. In that dramatic climax, the irony of Bahaar singing and the transvestite dancer led up to what we knew was inevitable as we watched the prince and maiden through a white veil. Holding my breath and praying for fate to intervene on the couple's behalf, I was practically on the edge of my seat.



The songs were not wasted in this film- the director used them to tell the story, and they were very effective indeed. In "Pyar Kiya Tho Darna Kya", we see the building tension in the room released in the music as the camera cuts from Madhubala's spinning skirt to the hands beating on what I think is called the Pakhawaj (looks like a drum), then back to the Emperor's face as it goes from simmering to boiling mad. Towards the end of the song, we see the image of Madhubala practically multiply before our eyes as it reflects in the glass ceiling and walls, a vibrant symbol of the dizziness of Prince Salim's love and the mounting irritation of Akbar.



Mughal-E-Azam was my first Bollywood movie from this time period, and therefore I had never seen anything with Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, or Prithviraj Kapoor in it. Dilip was absolutely amazing--his facial expressions were very controlled yet able to convey a raging desire at the same time. Prithviraj was equally grand as Akbar, a mighty emperor who placed duty to Hindustan first and foremost, yet was unable to harden his heart completely to his disobedient son. Madhubala, in my opinion, was reminiscent of a Hollywood starlet, particularly Marilyn Monroe, with a sensual allure and charming smile. Yet she wasn't just another pretty face--Anarkali showed her strength as a woman not to be messed with when she bravely stood up to Akbar and declared her love in "Pyar Kiya Tho Darna Kya".

As if that weren't enough, there was an additional performance that impressed me in Mughal-e-Azam. Nigar Sultana in the conniving role of Bahaar was as mischievous as Catwoman in the Batman comics. With her sultry beauty and snake like movements, she was the perfect depiction of a villain. Oh, how I enjoyed hating her character!



With its elegant beauty, effective directional moves, and stellar performances, watching Mughal-E-Azam reminded me of sitting down to a rich French dessert. I'm not trying to sound cheesy here, but it was just that much of a treat--the sets and costumes were exquisite, the love story tenderly sweet. I'm really, really glad I decided to watch this one.

Text © 2008 Nida Nazir Bitten By Bollywood