Jaya Bachchan calls her Basanti… Bobby Deol calls her Pritam Singh... and what her love interest, Ness Wadia calls her... we don't know. Karan's first guest is none other than the super rocking super star Preity Zinta. Karan's second guest comes from a terrific lineage... He truly is the brother and the son of the soil and is one of the most loved and the most affable members of the film fraternity.
Karan: How's life been?
Preity: Life's been good! I just wrapped up a movie Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and now its ready for release!
Karan: Yes it's releasing soon and everyone's saying it's looking fabulous and in fact the promo's are on air and everyone's loving them.
Preity: Well I've had a great time shooting for it… it's been a great experience… first time working with Abhishek… you never cast me with him!
Karan: Well you guys were the deprived parties in KANK and those two were just having an affair behind your backs. You silly people!
Preity: No, no, no… jokes aside… working with AB for the first time and working with Bobby after 8-9 years… Lara I was working with for the first time so it's been great. Shaad also… I worked with Shaad in Dil Se when he was an assistant and I started off my career and now working with him again, it's been great!
Karan: And now you have some other films you are doing. You worked with Rituparna Ghosh on a film with Mr. Bachchan?
Preity: Yes! It's an English film called The Last Lear with Mr. Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Shefali Shah and Divya Dutta.
Karan: Great! So… so much work happening… no time for love?
Preity: (Laughing) Accha!
Karan: Love we all know about!
Preity: Karan! (Laughing)
Karan: No of course everyone knows about your relationship with Ness and that has been going on now for how long… three years?
Preity: Two and a half!
Karan: But who's counting?
Preity: But who's counting! Exactly! Touchwood… life's been great! This year didn't start off like the way I expected it to. I had a lot of negativity this year. I lost my dog, I had an accident, I got stung by a bee… after all that…
Karan: My god! That sounds rather tragic!
Preity: I'm hoping this is going to be a great year!
Karan: It's going to be a great year professionally and I'm sure it's going to be a great year personally!
Karan: Are you planning to get married at all because there is all kinds of conjecture being made about this… now that marriage is the new thing happening with Abhishek and Ash and everything else… everyone wants to know if you are going to be marrying Ness?
Preity: I just wish people would give me my space where that is concerned at least because I think that is something very personal. Just like Ash and Abhishek, when they were getting married they told the whole world that they are getting married… same way, no one wants to hide these things, but if they are not happening you don't want people constantly asking, 'are you getting married, are you getting married?'
Karan: Does it bother you that people think that that's something you must tell everyone about?
Preity: It does upset me sometimes because I don't mind you criticizing my work… but constantly scrutinizing my personal life… sometimes it gets strenuous.
Karan: I suppose because you've been dating him for a while and he comes from such an illustrious family, so everyone thinks it's a great match and of course he is a wonderful boy and I know him personally… he's great looking and you both look great together and of course there are some people looking at it as some kind of gossip or some kind of confirmation… "When's the big wedding date?"
Preity: But the media takes amazing liberty… one day I am married, one day I've broken up, one day I am married, one day I've broken up… Thak gayi hoon main! It's like guys… especially me… I've always been honest and forthright about anything in my life…
Karan: Its never like you hid your boyfriends ever… they're there, they are part of your friends circle or whatever. You may never speak about it but I've always known you to have them with you always!
Preity: Yes I only like to act when I get paid for it… I don't like to act in real life!
Karan: 2-3 years ago there was always talks about you and Rani on war-path, you and Kareena having problems and you know… Rani coming on this very show and saying that 'Oh Preity talks too much and she should keep her opinions to herself' but now when I see you with her, I feel everyone looks a little more relaxed in their own life. Do you think things have changed?
Preity: Yeah! But I always joke with Rani. Everytime I meet her, I go ZIP (zipping her lips) and she says, 'No babes, I didn't mean that!'
Karan: What were the repercussions of that… were you shocked when you heard she said that on the show?
Preity: I told Rani, why did you have to say this… you should have told me so she said, 'No babe I was just kidding!' which I believe because when I work with her, I don't have a problem working with her and I'm pretty instinctive that way. As long as I don't have a problem working with her, she is entitled to her opinions also just as I am entitled to my opinions.
Karan: And your opinion of her is?
Preity: My opinion of her is… she's great!
Karan: What did you say to her… something really hysterical… she told me about it the other day.
Preity: I told her that we are a better pair than Shah Rukh and Kajol because really every movie we've done together has done so well!
Karan: And she told me Preity rang me up and told me that whenever in life I do get married I want you there because then my marriage will also be a big hit.
Preity: (Laughing) Yes!
Karan: Because she said ek photo to zaroor kheech lena mere saath then we'll be rocking and the marriage will be a big hit!
Preity: Yes! That's a silly joke between us.
Karan: And for marriages to work these days and for them to become big hits, trust me, it takes a hell of a lot.
Karan: And your equation with Kareena now… there was a lot of friction earlier… now, its all fine and sorted?
Preity: I think I've grown up, so I've become a lot calmer also. I mean earlier if someone didn't say hello to me, I thought that's bad manners… that's rude.
Karan: Yeah like you had said, Kareena only wishes me when Karan's around because we have an equation.
Preity: But I think I've mellowed down also and Kareena's fine! Whenever I meet her, it's ok! I say Hi to her and if she doesn't say Hi to me, its ok! I have no issues. I've gone through that phase now! Now its time for the other girls to fight! (Laughing)
Karan: We were just talking about how you appreciate your privacy and how the media today sometimes can misreport stuff. It happened in your case with Shekhar Kapur's wife who went on record saying some very ridiculous things about you. How does that make you feel?
Preity: Well there is a saying in English that goes, 'Heavy is the head that wears the Crown'. God has given me so much… he has given me more than I can ever imagine, so of course there are going to be minuses. Tomorrow anybody can get up and say 'Preity did this to me' and some paper will carry it on their front cover and I don't know if the other persons picture will be there, but there will definitely be a shot of mine. So if you're an actor and your saleable and your popular, you do get misused, but I do believe that I am controversy's favorite child. I always get dragged into some psycho controversies which I don't understand ki, Yeh kahaan se aaya!
Karan: But does it get embarrassing like the equation with you and Shekhar because you have been friends since so many years?
Preity: You know I have a lot of respect for Shekhar. I like him a lot. Initially in the beginning I felt a bit odd… awkward… but I'm ok now!
Karan: Because the day passes and there is another headline the next day. It goes on!
Preity: You know I always say… god you want to give me the worst… give me the worst… but then in the end… make me win! That's it.
Karan: But otherwise the industry has treated you very well.
Preity: Yes the industry has treated me very well and I'll always be grateful to that.
Karan: It's been how many years?
Preity: It's going to be 9 years at the end of this year!
Karan: Soldier was when… in 1998?
Preity: In 98!
Karan: It's going to be nearly a decade of work, you have done!
Preity: Yes!
Karan: When you look back at Soldier, do you think it was just the other day or you feel, lots of time has flown?
Preity: Actually I didn't feel these 9 years, to be honest. It's been the best time of my life. The industry has given me everything and you know people always say, this industry is sleazy, there is a casting couch, people are like this. I think people treat you the way you want to be treated by them. I have never encountered any problem with anybody who's being cheap or sleazy because I have never portrayed myself like that.
Karan: Because you have met very classy and elegant people.
Preity: Like Karan Johar? Like KJ?
Karan: Yeah so there has been no problem on that end. I'm more of the couch myself rather than being the casting couch.
Karan: Yeh Pritam Singh ka origin bata dena mujhe.
Preity: Bobby, please don't destroy me. Please I beg you!
Bobby: Well, she's like a guy… eh… like a buddy!
Karan: You two have been friends for a while and you've kept in touch even when you'll didn't work together?
Preity: Yes! Bobby and me have known each other before I became an actor
Bobby: She would be with us. We would all go out in my dads van every night out and she would be sitting right at the back quiet to her self. And one day she came up to me and said Ok! I'm doing criminal psychology. Can I make you my subject? And I said to her, look Preity… I would love to but I'm from this family and if I talk about myself and if you say this is my subject Bobby Deol, I can't do it!
Karan: You wanted to make bobby your subject?
Preity: But you know in the beginning I didn't know Bobby as Dharmendra's son.
Karan: Who did you think he was?
Preity: I swear. When I first met him he was one of the guys in the group and I had to look for someone between 23-28 ka age group, I was finding and I needed 5 subjects and actually I didn't realize.
Bobby: Actually I never thought she wanted to get into movies. I was at Shekhar's office for two years waiting for my film to start. Nothing was happening… I got to know everyone in the staff. I was going to start shooting for Soldier and I went to the studio and they said 'Preity aayi thi yaha par… uska screen test accha tha' and 'I was like Preity kaun? Uska surname kya hain and then they said Preity Zinta. And I said mereko dikhao and then I saw it and I was like "she's pretty good man!"' and then when I was shooting for Soldier I didn't recommend her, but I told them there is this girl and she's very good and I didn't know she's already signed on for another film and then she was my heroine and her first film was with me.
Karan: So both of you have had Shekhar Kapur in common. Both of you were waiting for your debut!
Karan: He's such a good boy na? My whole perception of him is that Bobby is a good boy. I've known Bobby very well personally, but I thought thoda-bahut research to kar lu… you know I have a talk show today… but no rumor, no scandal, no problem, no controversy, no nothing ya Bobby. You are too good that way!
Preity: He's quite a good boy that way, but quite a psycho also 'coz I got very sick on Soldier once and I was throwing up and we had a separate car as actors so we reached New Zealand first. The crew was coming with the bags and I was like... like you know when you have a friend and you can talk to a person at that time I told bobby… I'm feeling very sick… can I please come and sit in your room? And he said, 'No we cannot sit in my room… people will think we are having an affair!'. So he made me sit in the lobby!
Karan: What were you scared about Bobby?
Bobby: I don't remember this. (Laughing)
Preity: Don't lie! He did not let me sit in his room. He said no, no, no you don't know the film industry, they start rumours, they'll think we are having an affair so we'll sit in the lobby.
Bobby: But hey, did you know. People do believe that we had an affair.
Karan: But there was a rumour about you and Bobby.
Preity: No! But the whole of Soldier, Tanya was there with us.
Karan: But you know when wives reach location's that's when the first rumor starts.
Karan: You said something about Ram Gopal Verma, my favorite topic. What did you say?
Bobby: It's really funny because Ram Gopal Verma would always come and meet me, say he wants to do a film with me and disappear.
Karan: Never come back?
Bobby: Yeah! So one day I was shooting for Tera Rang Balle Balle for Soldier and I was in the van. We had one van with two sections. So I was sitting with Preity in her section and the door opened and I see Ram Gopal Verma. So I thought he must have come to meet her so I said ok Preity, I'll see you later. And I went on the set and then he came to meet me later and I said dude, you always come and go away. If you really want to do something, give me a call. And then suddenly Preity comes out, 'you this, you that! You left me with him!' so I was like what happened? He came to meet you. So she said no, he came to meet you!
Preity: Yeah, coz I was sitting with him in my section of the trailer.
Karan: What was the conversation?
Preity: I didn't even know him. So I was like smiling and he was smiling back. And he was more awkward than I was because I was all dressed up for Tera rang balle balle and he was sitting opposite me and Bobby had just walked out and I was thinking, is he going to come back, why has he gone out? I don't know you. And I thought it's a bit rude to tell someone "excuse me!" so we just sat and he finally said, 'I've come to meet Bobby!" (Laughing)
Bobby: I didn't know he'd come to meet me coz he's always done a disappearing act on me!
Preity: and I told him this is my section of the trailer, which he figured out because he thought it was Bobby's section and he kept sitting there. He was very sweet!
Bobby: That was quite funny!
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