A dimpled little girl required to play Preity's role

Preity Zinta is in a spot of trouble. She needs a child to play her in the earlier part of Jhanu Barua's Har Pal. But they are unable to find the right face.

Says Preity, "The problem is we need a little girl who not only resembles me but also has prominent dimples, and not just on one cheek. We've come across sweet little girls with one dimple. But since God has gifted me with dimples on both cheeks the hunt is on for a miniature Preity with the necessary holes in her cheeks."

Until the director finds the right face the shooting of the childhood portions is on hold. "And we've to find her fast," Preity is desperate. One option was Ayesha Kapoor from Black. "My God what a powerhouse performer!" says Preity. “She played the blind girl so convincingly. I've worked with the blind and I've seen them move their exactly cornea like Ayesha. But Ayesha's image after Black is too strong. What do we do? I really envy Manisha Koirala. In Khamoshi: The Musical. Sanjay Leela Bhansali found a girl who was not only a pint-sized replica of Manisha but also as talented."

As things stand the hunt is on for a twin-dimpled miniature Preity. "If we don't find her I'll have to play her myself," she jokes.

Deepa Mehta signs Preity for Heaven On Earth

Of late Preity Zinta has been gravitating towards a neo-realistic cinema. After working with Rituparno Ghosh and Jahnu Barua in The Last Lear and Har Pal, Preity's latest creative acquisition is none other than Deepa Mehta who has earlier worked with 'method' actresses like Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das.

Now in a sudden and unexpected move Deepa has finalized Preity Zinta to play the battered Punjabi wife in Heaven On Earth. Preity is over the moon. "I met Deepa a while back at the IIFA. She saw my film The Last Lear and loved it. I'm so glad I did this film. It has opened an entirely new door for me. I feel I'm born anew. Right now I'm hungering for a new kind of acting challenge. Doing Deepa's film is another step in the same direction. She's one director I've been longing to work with. When I read the script I said, this is it."

Deepa who decided to do this start-to-finish quickie before plunging into the Hollywood biggie Luna with John Abraham, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman and Chris Cooper, was on the look-out for the right face, personality and approach for the role.

"And I think Preity is perfect!" says Deepa from Toronto where she's now preparing to shoot Heaven On Earth. "I first met Preity at IIFA earlier this year. I was stuck by her positivity and her hungering for opportunities to stretch herself as an actress. We talked about the real-life character of a Punjabi housewife who goes through the nightmare of domestic violence. Preity was keen. But the dates were a problem. They've now been worked out. And Preity is on."

The shooting for Deepa (and Preity's) first Punjabi film begins in October. But before that in the middle of September Preity will be attending a workshop in Toronto. "To understand and come to grips with the character's milieu and body language. I think Preity can look very very Punjabi," observes Deepa.

'I had to wait alot for Preity...'

During the last one month Rituparno Ghosh has been in and out of Mumbai dubbing for his first English-language film The Last Lear.

It's been a grueling month of travel for the prolific director, as he had to fly down separately for each of the actors.

Says Ritu, "I first got Divya and then Shefali to do their dubbing. They've very important roles in the film and Divya specially had a tough dubbing schedule as she has assumed an accent for her character."

Then it was Preity's turn.

Says Ritu, "She was busy with several things. I had to wait patiently for her. But now that she has done her dubbing she has added so much to her performance in the dialogue. As for Amitda he's the last to dub because he was shooting in Hyderbad.

It's a first for all of them since they've never done an English-language film before. They've all surprised and delighted me," says the director who's flown between Kolkata-Mumbai so many times during the last one month that the airline has decided to allot him two frequent-flyer passes.

Laughs Ritu, "But it has been worth it. People tell me I should've shot in sync sound for The Last Lear. But actors like Arjun and Divya add so much to the performance through their voice. As for Amit-da his dialogue delivery as he does long Shakespearean passages in the dubbing provide a textbook on aural emoting."