On an overcast evening in Bengaluru, Preity Zinta brought the sunshine back into our hearts. The dimpled Bollywood beauty was in the city for the opening of the Advanced Beauty and Cosmetic Clinic, Jayanagar. Channelling her inner gypsy with a cute off-shoulder top, she spoke to MetroPlus about her upcoming endeavours and all things that she holds dear.
Excerpts:
You have been in the industry for nearly two decades. What keeps you going?
Well, air is the first basic thing. I think there is a poem by Robert Frost which says that the woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have miles to go before I sleep. So, there is always a new inspiration and something new to look forward to. I am the kind of person who after doing something for too long always asks myself what’s next? It is very much like climbing a mountain. You can climb the highest mountain, but after that, you always wonder what comes next. I like to get going and keep going.
What are your forthcoming projects?
I have a new film called Bhaiyyaji Superhitt opposite Sunny Deol that is coming out soon. I am launching my own make-up brand, which I am wearing now, by the way. But the thing that I am most excited about is my Women’s Safety Project called ‘Kavach Safety’ . I think this is the most important thing for me right now beyond any movie, make-up brand or cricket tournament. More than entertaining people or doing anything else, if we can positively change someone’s life and make them feel secure and let women have the dreams that they want to, it will be a spectacular thing. I believe that girls compete with each other whereas women empower each other and if women really want equality, it is time that we (women) started doing things for ourselves instead of saying that men should solve our problems or protect us, at least not in 2017.
The lay down on Kavach Safety...
Kavach Safety has been an ongoing project for the last five years and an uphill task but I am excited that it is finally ready to launch. Women today aspire to do so many things but are held back by their parents or brother or husband saying that it’s not safe. All these limit women’s choices, most obviously, for a home maker. And a lot of times, the restrictions are because of safety issues.
The project is starting off with Pune as the pilot city with 50,000 women from various fields from IT to education.
Of these 50,000 women, at least 5,000 are going to be from families of defence forces including the police, army and paramilitary forces, which will be done pro-bono. The idea is to say ‘if you can send your husbands or sons to protect us, we can protect your women’.
Actually, the three cities where any product is usually tested are Pune, Chandigarh and Bengaluru.
I chose Pune because it is closer to Mumbai (my home) and also because the fantastic Police Commissioner of Pune, Rashmi Shukla has been quite supportive. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra has also been supportive, he will be launching the project for us. This is why I have been visiting Pune a lot lately and it has become my second home.
A lot of my friends from the film industry are sponsoring the initiative . It is a massive project and as they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and we have taken not just one but quite a few steps.
I want everyone to support this, especially the women. I feel that this, in some way, has been my calling.
