Preity Zinta recalls the time Mani Ratnam asked her to wash off makeup before a scene in Dil Se: ‘Thought he was joking’

Preity Zinta, who made her Bollywood debut with Dil Se, reminisced about the time when Mani Ratnam asked her to wash her face and remove all her makeup before taking her close-up shot.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | February 8, 2024 09:42 PM IST

2 min read

Preity Zinta in a still from Dil Se. (Pic: Preity/Instagram)

Dil Se remains one of filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s most iconic films, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta in the lead roles. In a recent Instagram post, Preity, who made her Bollywood debut with Dil Se, reminisced about the time when Mani Ratnam asked her to wash her face and remove all her makeup before taking her close-up shot.

Sharing a photo of the same close-up shot on Instagram, Preity narrated the intriguing anecdote from the film. She wrote, “This picture was taken on the first day on the set of Dil Se. I was so excited to be working with Mani Ratnam sir & Shah Rukh Khan. When Mani sir saw me he smiled and politely asked me to wash my face…. But sir… my make up will come off, I said smiling …. That’s exactly what I want… Pls wash your face…. He smiled back. I thought he was joking …. Then I realised he was not !!! So thanks to the amazing Santosh Shivam ( our Director of Photography) I filmed with a freshly washed face and got away with it 🎥🤩🙏 I guess he shot me Dil Se ❤️ #throwbackthursday #Dilse #Memories #Ting.”

Despite being hailed as one of Mani Ratnam’s iconic films, the director revealed in an interview with Scroll that he hasn’t seen Dil Se since its release. He mentioned, “I haven’t seen the film in 25 years, so I don’t know how it has stood. I have only seen bits and pieces, and that too on mute – or any of my other films, for that matter.”

Also read | Mani Ratnam reveals why it took him 36 years to collaborate with Kamal Haasan: ‘Unless you have at least something halfway solid…’

Dil Se features Shah Rukh Khan as an All India Radio employee and Manisha Koirala as Moina, a member of a North-East terrorist sleeper cell. The film garnered mixed reviews and moderate box office success, however its soundtrack, composed by AR Rahman, became a huge hit.

From the homepage