One swallow does not a summer make. Living up to the unfortunate adage is Preeti Jhangiani, once associated with the famed Yash Raj banner and now struggling to stay afloat. Many years ago when she starred in Mohabbatein with the likes of Amitabh Bacchhan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai she seemed destined for the bigger things of life. Not to be.
She blames it all on destiny as she fields questions from the media sitting at Jukaso Inn in New Delhi. The pleasant but simple Jukaso Inn is a far cry from the flashbulbs and rose petal-laden carpets that greeted her at a five-star hotel on the eve of the release of Mohabbatein a few years ago. With no Yash Raj banner with her anymore, Preeti today has taken to honing the skills of wannabe actors and was actually in Delhi in her capacity as a guest lecturer of the Gurukul Acting Academy.
Married to actor Parvin Dabas, she still is doing some films. She may not be able to pick and choose but she is hopeful that a couple of her forthcoming films will turn the tide in her favour. “Everybody asks me about Mohabbatein but I have moved on. Destiny plays a major part in our life. It’s sheer bad luck that I did not get the right roles under the right banners but I am not going to give up. Even the star kids have to struggle — the only benefit they have is the launch film. Today I am doing a couple of films — As the River Flows and then Mona.” In As… Preeti will be seen with Sanjay Suri. “The film is about the crisis in Assam, it is about the public caught in the crossfire between the government and the terrorists. I am playing the role of a newspaper editor,” reveals Preeti.
The film is shot in Assam and will be released by the year-end. With two films in her kitty and some good offers, Preeti looked quite satisfied. Now chastened with experience Preeti advises all youngsters to put academics ahead of a career in films. She says, “Do not leave your studies because they are the basic thing, first complete them and then come to Bollywood, and that too with the consent of your parents.”
