‘I have no expectations from anyone’

SUCCESS COMES at a cost and Preity Zinta knows it. Her jadoo ki jhappis to her boys in the Mohali team after their every win,
are making news but what people have forgotten are the jibes that came her way when she first got into the business of cricket.
She was mocked as the girl who hardly understood the game but had bought a team, she was sneered at when the VIP box during her matches was strangely bereft of any VIPs and Ness’ mother Maureen Wadia reportedly even wondered if her son would be a victim of fraudulent practices after investing in the IPL team with her.
With all the success that her team has gathered and her Cannes appearance, a lot of people have to eat crow, and PZ has something to crow about.
Here’s all: ‘You need to have that kind of stature to reach Cannes’: I was supposed to walk the red carpet at Cannes but I missed it because my flight was delayed. And to think I flew some 17 hours for that one appearance! But I did attend the dinner and the next day’s event.
I enjoyed Cannes because I got to play an actress after so long. These days, IPL sees me dressed in tees-jeans and no makeup. Here, I wore a designer gown, emeralds and a 1930s hairstyle. For me, the red carpet is about looking like a complete doll. If I do this kind of thing here, people will think I am crazy. Also, you need that kind of stature to be at an event like Cannes.
There, I met Cate Blanchett, Misha Barton, Gillian Anderson among others. Also, when I was out shopping in Cannes, a group of French women came to me and called me Zaara as they had seen Veer-Zaara. India is sure going places! ‘Cricket is my passion now’: I am back so soon from Cannes because I won’t miss IPL for the world. I never thought that it would become my passion. I never expected to get so attached to the game. Its highs are so high and its lows are so low! The boys are great but they will make mistakes sometimes. And it is terrible when they do.
Such is the madness of the game that I forget I am an actress and I have a certain protocol to follow in front of those 40,000 spectators. It is just too real for me to keep any appearances. In fact, I still remember the way I was looked at when I entered the dressing room for the first time. When I asked everybody what was the issue, they told me they have never had a woman in the dressing room before.
‘Who has time for films now?’: It is not sensible to make films with IPL in full flow. If everybody is hooked on to matches, who will go and watch films? But that doesn’t mean I have lost interest in Bollywood or I am not that great an actress any more. I have an amazing line-up of films in my kitty. The minute IPL gets over, I have Har Pal, The Last Lear, Heros and Heaven on Earth releasing. And there is a sur prise movie that I shall start shooting for very soon. Also, I have the world tour with the Bachchans in the offing.
‘This series is an emotional experience for me’: IPL is a very emotional experience for me. It is my first business venture and I have put my hard-earned money in to it. I have worked really hard to earn it all — dancing in minus four degrees in a thin chiffon saree is not easy. People have spoken about how my friends are not there to cheer my team. Well, I have told them that they are most welcome if they want to come. But I don’t need anyone to stand with me and cheer. I can stand on my own, be out there and do it for myself. I have that conviction. If people choose to come along with me, it’s great. However, I don’t have any expectations.