Exclusive: I Love The Chemistry We Have: Preity G Zinta on Shah Rukh Khan, Vibe & Modern Romance

Preity G Zinta was one of the defining faces of early-2000s Hindi cinema, particularly when it came to romantic films and rom-coms. From Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho to Veer-Zaara and Salaam Namaste, she became synonymous with characters that were warm, spirited and independent. Years later, after choosing to focus on her family and life in the US, the actress is back on the Indian screen. She was seen earlier this year in Batwara 1947 alongside Sunny Deol and is now gearing up for Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe.

But Vibe is a very different world for the actress. Written and directed by Kemmu, the film is a high-stakes action comedy with a spy-comedy setup, following two ordinary friends, played by Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava, who find themselves caught up in a dangerous mission to save the country. At the centre of that chaos is Preity’s Madam H, a commanding, patriotic character who stays in control while everyone around her scrambles to keep up.

For Preity, the film offered more than just a change of genre. Madam H allowed her to explore a side of herself as an actor that she hadn’t really had the opportunity to tap into before. One of the biggest discoveries was getting to do something she had wanted to try for years: action.

“I’ve always wanted to do action, so that was exciting. And what’s new about Madam H is she’s one of the very few characters I’ve played where she will go to any lengths. She loves her country, and she’ll do anything by hook or by crook,” she tells us in an exclusive conversation.

The atmosphere on the Vibe set brought its own challenge for the actress. Kemmu and Shrivastava could be funny, but Zinta had to remain serious. She jokes, “It was a tough vibe for me because they were laughing and being funny, and I had to be serious. There’s this one scene where Sparsh is on a chair, and he comes hopping on it. I had to be serious because Kunal wanted me to be in a particular way. I had to remember all my lines and had to be serious. I couldn’t laugh, but they were being so funny.”

It wasn’t the first time she had found herself surrounded by people making her laugh while she was required to remain serious. She faced the same problem on Dil Chahta Hai. The actress continues, “I had that in Dil Chahta Hai as well. Everybody was funny, but I had to be serious. And I fought with Farhan (Akhtar). I told him that’s not fair.”

Beyond Vibe, the conversation naturally turns to romance, a genre that has been closely associated with her career. Having starred in some of the most remembered romantic films and rom-coms of the 2000s, she feels there is still an appetite for that kind of cinema, although the way people approach love has changed.

Yet she isn’t opposed to revisiting some familiar on-screen chemistry. If the right script comes along, there are several actors she would like to work with again.

Meanwhile, Vibe, written and directed by Kunal Kemmu, stars him alongside Preity Zinta, Sparsh Shrivastava and Vanshika Dhir in pivotal roles. It is set to release in theatres on September 18.