Of intimate conversations

With Up, Close & Personal with PZ on UTV Stars, she is back on television after hosting Guinness World Records - Ab India Todega, albeit in a new avatar.

As history of chat shows hosted by celebrities has proved, nothing can be juicier than a tete-a-tete.

Be it Koffee With Karan or Tere Mere Beach Mein hosted by Farah Khan, Bollywood celebrities always opened up when questioned by their peers.

So, is Preity going to follow a similar path? “A chat show need not be controversial and juicy. It can be simple too. My show is a positive, fun-filled show with lots of surprises,” she retorts. A chat show sans controversy and gossip sounds a little dull, doesn’t it?

Preity explains, “Actors have a certain image that is either created by the media or is built up through their work. My aim is to let viewers know the real people behind their on-screen persona. Since these are people I have known for a long time, the comfort level is great and they have been extremely candid on the show.”

Preity gives an example to prove her point — “When we see Akshay Kumar, the first thing that comes to our mind is that he is a very rough and tough guy who is anything but emotional. But he is very different in real life. Not only is he soft and caring, but he is sentimental as well. In fact, he broke down during my chat show. He had tears in eyes while talking about his father. I can understand his emotions because even I am very close to my father. He was able to be his natural self only because he was comfortable with me.”

Thanks to her rapport, Preity has got top stars lined up for her show. Sample the guest list — Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Bobby Deol, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan. But once you look at the guest list closely, an interesting thing pops out.

Preity’s guest list does not include a single actress. Was that a conscious decision? Preity laughs and says, “Please do not read anything else into this. We wanted to be unique and thus the first 12 episodes feature only male stars. Depending on the audience response, we may decide to invite some actresses later.”

The first show of Up, Close and Personal with PZ had Salman Khan as the guest while the next one will have Hrithik Roshan. Did she take tips from her friend Karan Johar? “Not really. We have different ways of conducting a chat show. Also, I talk a lot anyway!” she says.

It has been quite some time since Preity Zinta was seen in a film. The actress, who made her debut with Dil Se and went on to win many a heart with her stellar performances in Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya and Sangharsh, responds, “I am still keen on doing films. In fact, I plan to produce a film very soon.”

Be it as a producer or as an actress, it would be great to have the pretty Preity back in action. After all, not too many actresses have the right mix of talent, oomph and charm as her.