‘It gives me a high to prove myself’

Staying away from more “bubbly” roles,she acted in realistic films like The Last Lear,Heroes and Heaven On Earth. “They were satisfying,but after a point I did not even want to do these dukhi films,” she says. Her stint with cricket and the Indian Premier League kept her busy. “I attended cricket seminars in order to understand the game,” says Zinta. She then went to Harvard Business School to study business. “I was on a different trip. I did not miss movies at all,” she states.

It was during the lowest phase of her cricket-related career,when her team Kings XI Punjab lost two consecutive semi-finals,she felt a void. “I was seated next to the Dalai Lama. He told me,‘not to worry. All will be okay’. I replied,‘I play to win’. So he told me,‘then you need to play on your own field’. That’s when I contemplated returning to films,” she says. Around that time,director Prem Raj (Main Aur Mrs Khanna) came to her with a script. Zinta put that script on hold and decided to co-write Ishkq in Paris instead.

Zinta’s comeback however,hasn’t been without much criticism. But the actress is used to it. “When I bought the cricket team,people started saying that someone else must have paid for her team. And then they said I am seeing someone related to cricket. Whenever I have achieved something,people have said,isne toh koi shortcut use kiya hoga. It gives me a high to prove myself when people try to pull me down,” she says.

The acid test for Zinta is on October 5 when Ishkq in Paris will release alongside Sridevi’s comeback movie English Vinglish. Critics are saying that she may not be able to compete with the younger lot. Zinta says,“I’m not here to compete. And to pull down someone to make your way up,is not my style.” What does work in her favour is her ability to dream big and succeed in her ventures. Zinta is hopeful to repeat that feat with Ishkq in Paris. “Buy a ticket and judge me. I am not interested in free judgement,” she challenges.