‘PEOPLE BELIEVE THE WORST’

Preity G Zinta says that actors are judged harshly, no matter how clean their image is

After her marriage to American financial analyst, Gene Goodenough in 2016, Preity G Zinta moved to Los Angeles, USA. After a brief break, the actor made her debut as a producer in 2013 with the film Ishq in Paris. The actor, who’s back in Bollywood after another five-year gap, tells us about her life in Los Angeles, being away from Bollywood and more.

Was it a conscious decision to stay away from films or was it lack of good roles that kept you out of the limelight?

It was a conscious decision as I wanted to be an entrepreneur and get into cricket. I have been lucky that the industry has been very kind to me and always offered me amazing work. I took a break but now I’m back and loving every moment of it.

Did you miss being on screen?

I did not miss being on screen when I was away but having said that, I completely loved coming back to a film set after a long time. I almost forgot how magical and inspiring the creative process was. Now I feel I did miss all the madness of forgetting me and becoming someone else.

You said that your comments on #MeToo were taken out of context. Do you think it is sometimes better to not give out your opinion in public?

Actors are easy targets. These days, no matter what your personal equity has been in the past, people are quick to judge you and believe the worst of you. You can do 100 good things and no one will care but if you falter once, you are judged harshly. I guess one has to take the good, bad and ugly, so, I don’t think I will stop giving interviews but I will definitely keep quality control in the future.

You are based in the US for most part of the year. Many Indian actors are getting interesting parts in American films and television. Have you tried to venture into that area?

I am and always will be a global citizen. Los Angeles and Mumbai, both are my homes. I cannot take India out of me or stay away for too long but I have begun to love my life in Los Angeles, too. I guess I have the best of both the worlds now. I did not venture into films or TV in the US before I got married but now after marriage, I have to make a life and work there. I cannot keep coming back to India for work all the time. So yes, I will be working in the US now. If any script excites me then the medium does not really matter and I will soon be producing content for the web.

PHOTO: YOGEN SHAH