"It changed my whole perception towards my role and I realised
that it's so terrible to strip a woman of her spirit. It's better
to die than to let your spirit die. This film took me to another
zone; it just shattered me because I am someone who would immediately
stand up for myself," she said.
Known for her chirpy, bubbly and garrulous image in Bollywood,
Preity would be seen at the receiving end in Mehta's film, which
she says "completely broke" her heart.
She explained: "It was the most difficult film of my career.
It's also a film that completely broke my heart. I remember asking
a woman, who was a victim of domestic violence and had left her
husband, what the turning point in her relationship was and she
said, 'I told my husband if you want to beat me, beat me in a
room. But don't beat me in front of the family.'
"I could never understand that. Beating someone is bad and
it doesn't matter if it's alone or in front of others. It's terrible.
I really didn't know what it was to be in a situation like this
till I did the film."
Preity has of late been accepting non-commercial projects, including
the recently released "The Last Lear" and Jahnu Barua's
"Har Pal".
Why the sudden interest in off-beat films?
"I did 'Heaven on Earth' because I thought if a commercial
actor like me ventured into something like this, it would provide
a broader platform. It was something that really inspired me and
I was very excited about. I always played stronger roles so this
was a change for me.
"I'm happy that the film will get more eyeballs thanks to
the recognition it has got. To me, I'll be ultimately happy if
every family will see the film, especially the men," said
Preity.
The actress said that while the movie did not have "the
trappings of music and song and dance", it was still very
close to her heart "because it tackles immigration; it tackles
domestic violence - topics that we like to brush under the carpet".
The year so far has brought her much critical acclaim as her
performances in both "The Last Lear" and "Heroes"
were widely appreciated.
The actress added that she would return to her trademark girl-next-door
image only if she was offered a role with "substance".
"I will do masala movies for sure, but I would like to have
substance in them. I can't do just the glam chick any longer.
I've been there, done that. It just doesn't inspire me any more.
I have to leave that for the other girls to do. That's the way
one grows," she said.
Preity's "Heaven on Earth" will have its worldwide
commercial release in November end and she will also be seen in
"Har Pal" and "Main Aur Mrs. Khanna".
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