Only big stars get written off: Preity

"I have been here since ten years and there have been three times in my career that I have been written off. And it is just not me. It has happened with Mr Bachchan. They wrote off Shahrukh. They wrote off Aishwarya.

"I think only when you are a big star is that they write you off. That is one positive thing," Preity told PTI in an interview.

The 34-year-old actress, whose last onscreen appearance was a cameo in Salman Khan starrer box office dud 'Mr and Mrs Khanna', has not enjoyed a "happening" year.

She was also seen in 'Heroes' which did not create any magic either. And for the major part of the year Preity was busy handling her IPL team 'Kings Eleven Punjab' which she co-owns with former boyfriend Ness Wadia.

"I don't take my break from movies negatively. I had got involved with IPL and it was a very big investment for me.

"I was building a huge property for myself. But I miscalculated. I thought I could understand the business in 6 months. But that was not the case and 6 months became 18 months," said the actress, who was in Delhi as the brand ambassador of Dabur Vatika hair oil.

So does she agree that 2009 has not been a fruitful year for her acting career, and pat comes the reply," I also did Deepa Mehta's 'Heaven on Earth' which won me best actress internationally which no commercial Bollywood actress has won. So it makes me feel great."

Preity, who won the Best Actress award at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival for 'Heaven on Earth', is relieved that IPL is back in the country and so is she with her 'Har Pal', directed by National-Award winning directer Jahnu Barua which will see a unique chemistry between Preity and Shiney Ahuja.

"'Har Pal' is very contemporary. Everybody thinks that it is very serious and intense film. But it is not. It is very much fun and commercial," the actress said.

The actress may have been out for long but is humbled that her filmmaker friends in the industry have welcomed her with open arms.

"I am very lucky to be working with filmmakers who always have supported me when I had no backing," Preity said.

But her disappearance from films has surely been the talk of the tinsel town, "My friends in the industry tease me saying 'Oh Preity has made too much money she is not interested in films now'," Preity joked.

"But now I am mentally prepared. Everything is set. IPL is going to be held in India. I am ready to work again with full commitment. In 2010 I'll be working back to back at a couple of projects. You going to see a lot of me now," said Preity.