Madhureeta Mukherjee (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 12, 2026)

Eight years away from the big screen, and Preity Zinta is back — with her spark firmly intact. From the recently released Batwara 1947 to the upcoming action-comedy, Vibe directed by Kunal Kemmu, she’s stepping into this new chapter with the same warmth and infectious energy that have made her a fan favourite. When she walked onto the Bombay Times Lounge set, she brought the buzz with her — and her fans lapped it up. Here are excerpts from our chat with her. And yes, the vibe was chilled-out, chatty and very, very PZ!

You’ve said that you didn’t really miss the spotlight during the years we didn’t see you on the big screen. Tell us about that phase of your life — getting married, having kids and building a home. How did that chapter unfold?
When I was acting, everything was about me. The whole focus was me. Then I stepped into cricket (owning an IPL team) and learned that it didn’t matter what I was doing, the focus was the game. I’ve been through phases of my life where I’ve gone out, worked very hard for 18-hours a day. When you are 20, you are fine doing that. Now as a homemaker, it’s about focusing on the personal side of my life, where you are not the centre of the universe, your kids are. It’s a lot of work but a lot of joy, too.

Did stepping away from the limelight make you realise how much of your identity was tied to being Preity Zinta, the actor? And did you surprise yourself by how fully you embraced a life beyond being a top actress?
I always knew that films were a part of my life, but it wasn’t just that. Also, I think it comes from being a fauji kid. I never grew up thinking movies could be a career. I wanted to study criminal psychology and be a detective. I accidentally got into this industry, and it was more about survival, because I ran away from home and ended up here.

Kunal Kemmu made an impressive directorial debut with Madgaon Express. What did you see in his script and vision for Vibe that made you want to do the film?
Kunal is very good with comedy. It was a very tough shoot, as we were shooting for 16-17-hour days. I was okay with it because I wanted to finish all my work and go back home to my kids. My first thought when I read the script was, I wanted to do action; the film had that and it is also a funny film. It is actually quite a mad film with a fresh take on spy thrillers. Everyone’s doing these spy thrillers, and this had a little twist to it and a different vibe. So, I said, let’s give it a shot.

When you started out, female characters were often written in very clear shades of good and bad. Do you think that has changed today, with women being allowed to be more flawed, layered and ambitious on screen?
Absolutely! Earlier, whatever role you were doing, it was always in shades of white. There was no grey. The hero and heroine were only doing good things. The villain or the other character was only dark. There was nothing in between. Today, that has changed. But even then, people sometimes want to humanize the character and ask, ‘Why was this character like that?’ The hero can still jump out of the eighth floor, give five kicks, kill 10 people and come back and save you and we love that too. But there are also other kinds of films being made.

Today, it is hard to make a mistake and move on from it; people don’t let you forget…
Yes, it is like in school if you got bullied, you got bullied by 20 people. Today, you’re getting bullied by 20 million people (on social media). Everybody is saying something. So, when I’m back home in America, I post on social media during the IPL, and then I disappear. You don’t just look at the nice comments; you tend to look at the negative comments, too. I don’t want my mental health to be affected by it. There are days when you’re really happy and you’re like…nothing can come in my way. Then there are days when it hits you. Today, everything is online and they’ll never let you forget anything, which is sad, especially for the younger generation. You know, the beauty of youth is that you can make mistakes and learn from them. But this makes it so much harder for them.

If you were to look back on your career, what would you do differently?
I would make the same mistakes in the same way. I believe that life is a chain reaction. If I changed something from my past, then I wouldn’t be here. All that has happened so far had to happen for me to be here. The only thing, if I had to look back and alter, would be losing my dad when I was 14. I wouldn’t want that to happen. But again, if that wouldn’t have happened, I don’t think I would have been an actor.

Talking about your kids, Jai and Gia, have they watched any of your films and do they realise that they have a famous mom?
Well, they’ve travelled to India. I don’t like them being photographed here, and when I get photographed, my daughter gets a little upset and asks, “Why does that person want a picture with you?” A few times, when she has wanted to come with me in the picture, I told her no, and she got a little upset. Hence, I try to find a balance. They haven’t seen any of my movies, and I don’t think I would want them to, because I’m always with another actor, and I think it will be devastating for them at this point to see me with another male on screen.

Social media has created a whole new kind of pressure for actors, especially the new generation. With people quick to judge, criticise and jump to conclusions, how do you navigate that space?
It’s easy to judge people and I do feel the world has become very superficial. Today, when newcomers come, I feel bad for them because everyone is told they can buy followers and comments. The paparazzi is called and told, “I will be here”, and then there is your red-carpet look, airport look and whatever else. I’m not judging anyone. When I came here from Himachal Pradesh, I knew nothing. Yes, there were film families and their children, but at least it was a level playing ground. Today, you’re telling a new kid to buy likes, comments and followers. For those reasons, I feel really bad for the new generation that’s coming in. If I was starting off today, I think it would have been a much tougher zone.