MUMBAI: Preity Zinta’s motto in life is simple. “Jiyo aur jeene do. Kal ho na ho (Live and let live. Who knows about tomorrow?).” No, she isn’t doing a film called “Jiyo Aur Jeene Do”. Much as she’d have liked to, she’s also not doing Meghna Gulzar’s second film. “It’s a damn good script and I’m sure Bosky will make a wonderful film. I’d have loved to work with her. She belongs to my, Farhan and Karan’s generation and I can relate to her. But what to do, I don’t have the time.”

Preity has just wrapped up work on Lakshya, which according to her “isn’t a war film, but a film about finding one’s place in country and society”. Being in the two biggest hits of the year Koi... Mil Gaya and Kal Ho Na Ho has put a wide smile on her face. “I’m being appreciated, and that too for totally disparate performances and looks. In Lakshya and Yashji’s film I’ll be seen in two more avatars.”

Ah, what do we have here? Another Gulshan Grover? Preity laughs hard at the corny comparison. At least someone in Bollywood has a sense of humour.

Arya Babbar’s double act

MUMBAI: Have you noticed? After the shocking failure of a spate of double-role films — from Amitabh Bachchan in Sooryavansham to Kamal Haasan in Abhay and Shah Rukh Khan in

Duplicate — everyone has stopped looking at the genre. But there is one brave heart. Aziz Sejawal has cast Arya Babbar in a double role in a film entitled Do. That, too, when Arya has already failed in a double role in his debut Ab Ke Baras (he was the first Bhagat Singh of 2002, remember?).

Babbar has put Baras and Mudda behind him. “Disappointments are a part of growing up. I saw failure as a challenge and have been working on my body face and diction,” he says. Like Dino Morea in Raaz (remember his whimpering debut in Pyar Mein Kabhi

Kabhi?), Arya is ready for a second coming.

Hera Pheri: Lara in, Tabu out

MUMBAI: Firoz A Nadiadwala, who produced the rib-tickling comedy Hera Pheri, wanted the same cast for its sequel and has roped in Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Tabu.

The sequel has been tentatively titled as Aura Hera Pheri and Priyadrashan was to be roped in to direct this film but he seems to be very busy with his next Hindi film Hulchul.

However, if rumours are to be believed, Nadiadwala has replaced Tabu with the now very popular, Lara Dutta. No reasons have been given as to why Tabu is being replaced. Meanwhile, efforts are on to persuade Satish Kaushik to direct the comedy flick.

Saif climbs the success ladder

MUMBAI: Things

couldn’t be better for the affable Saif Ali Khan. After playing the goggle-eyed Gujju in Kal Ho Naa Ho (KHNH), Saif went straight into the heart of Kargil in LOC. “What an honour, man! This is one film that folks back in my ancestral place Pataudi are proud of.”

Two weeks later, Saif swerved from soldier to scoundrel in Ek Haseena Thi where he was an out-and-out villain trapping Urmila Matondkar into a horrendous nightmare. And now comes Kunal Kohli’s Hum Tum where he plays the main romantic lead with Rani Mukherjee. It was a rush and was completed in three months. Apparently producer Aditya Chopra wanted Hum Tum to be Saif’s first release after KHNH.

— Subhash K Jha