Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 10, 2017)

After playing Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife in the Manto biopic, Rasika Dugal will be seen in Gaurav Bakshi’s next, tentatively titled Reincarnation. It is being produced by Imtiaz Ali’s ex-wife Preety, and also features Sanjay Mishra and Akshay Oberoi in pivotal roles. “It’s the story of a man who believes he is the reincarnation of Mahatma Gandhi. My character is very aware of her sexuality and, as a friend described, ‘casually brave’. What interested me about the script was that it didn’t fit into any genre,” says the actress who wrapped up the film last month on the outskirts of Mumbai.

She is quick to add that it is a dramatic departure from her role of Safia Manto and though shooting for low budget films can be physically exhausting, Rasika says the joy of making a good film helps you tide over all hardships. “Sanjay Mishra also kept us entertained with his stories and antics,” she laughs.

She informs that Preety, along with her business partners, Vinay Mishra and Pallavi Rohatgi, are from her hometown Jamshedpur. “I met them a few years ago through common friends and we were looking for an opportunity to work together. Preety, Vinay and I had many Jamshedpur stories to share during the shoot. We jabbered about school, common friends and favourite places to eat till other unit members started to complain that they had Jamshedpur coming out of their ears,” she signs off on a merry note.

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 2, 2016)

After his critically acclaimed turn in Laal Rang, Akshay Oberoi has wrapped up his next, titled The Virgins. The film, which re-unites him with his Laal Rang leading lady, Pia Bajpai, and also features Divyendu Sharma in a prominent role, was shot in a small Dahanu village and addresses the issue of premarital sex.

Set for a mid-June release tentatively, The Virgins is directed by Sandeep A Varma, and produced by Jab We Met filmmaker Imtiaz Ali's wife, Preety Ali, and Vinay Mishra, under the banner Humara Movies.

"Virginity has always been a hot topic of discussion in small towns as well as big cities but ours is a tongue-and-cheek approach to it that will leave the viewers in splits and convey a message at the same time," says Mishra.

The director cites a recent Mirror headline (Caste panchayat puts girl through 'virginity' test, June 1), to point out that it's not a new phenomenon.

Akshay who plays the boyfriend to whom the bride-to-be has lost her virginity nods in agreement, adding that there was "nothing awkward" about filming the project. "The makers had seen my earlier work and liked it. Of course they thought I was fit for the part. It wasn't awkward because I think today's youth is more open to discussing virginity and sex. A film like this defines coming-of-age cinema."

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 1, 2014)

On September 10, Mirror had reported that Imtiaz Ali's girlfriend Iman Ali has returned to Pakistan. This had given rise to hushed whispers that the couple is no longer together. Well, it's official now. A close friend of the filmmaker admitted that the duo has indeed split.

But the Jab We Met director is not nursing a broken heart after losing his steady date who was last seen in Shoaib Mansoor's 2011 film, Bol. She then migrated to Mumbai in search of a Bollywood career but couldn't make much headway. The twist in the tale is that now Imtiaz is getting close to his estranged wife Preety Ali.

When contacted, Preety did not deny that things are getting better between her husband and her. "Imtiaz was always very close to me," she admitted.

Better still, the two have started working together on a film which will be co-produced by Ekta Kapoor and Preety. The film, tentatively titled Laila Majnu, will go on the floors shortly.

Speaking about the project, Preety revealed that it is a love story. "But it is not a remake of the 1976 Rishi Kapoor-Ranjeeta starrer Laila Majnu," she asserted. Interestingly, Imtiaz is helping Preety with the script. In fact, he is writing most of it. And Imtiaz and Preety are on the same page. Confirming this, Preety said, "Imtiaz is very involved with my film. He is the creative director."

The film has another Ali connection. Imtiaz's younger brother Sajid Ali will be directing it. He has replaced Ravi Jadhav, who directed the National Award winning Natarang and Balgandharva. Jadhav, a big name in Marathi cinema, has also helmed hits like Balak Palak and Timepass.

"Ravi behaved unprofessionally so Sajid Ali was asked to take over," added the source.

With her husband and brother-in-law for company, Preety is in a happy space today.

Vickey Lalwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 14, 2014)

Following her two-year estrangement from husband Imtiaz Ali, Preety has moved on.

Having assisted Imtiaz in most of his projects, Preety has now launched an anthology of short films titled Shuruaat Ka Interval at a Juhu multiplex yesterday. Eight shorts, packaged into a 96-minute capsule, have been developed under the aegis of filmmakers Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane, Imtiaz Ali and Anand Gandhi. They interpret the meaning of the word 'Interval'.

The trigger behind this unique project, which she's been creatively working on with business partner Vinay Mishra, is simple statistics-out of the 15,000 films certified every year, 11000 are shorts films. "For two years, we've hosted a short film festival in Mumbai. This year we've extended our reach and besides Mumbai, this film will also release in Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad on Independence Day."

Her top three picks from the capsule are Interval 3D by Palash Vaswani in which a ghost comes to life during the interval of a B-grade horror movie and Krishan Hooda's The Last Audition about a struggling actor who wants to live his dream while surviving the reality of life. "I also enjoyed Atanu Mukherjee's Gatekeeper about a guard of a railway crossing," she says.

Buzz is, Preety will soon co-produce a film with Ekta Kapoor.