08 September,2026 05:18 PM IST | Mumbai | Onam Gupta
Preity Zinta and Batwara 1947 poster pic via Instagram
After staying away from the silver screen for several years, actor Preity Zinta made her acting comeback with Rajkumar Santoshi's Batwara 1947. Released on August 14, 2026, the film, which also stars Sunny Deol, is set against the backdrop of India's Partition. The film marks Preity's return to acting after she took a break to focus on her personal life, marriage and motherhood.
Unfortunately, the Bollywood period drama recieved decent-to-mixed reviews and failed to make an impact at the box office. Asked whether the film's underperformance disappointed her, particularly as it marked her comeback to the big screen, Preity said she is very proud of the project. She further explained that while she can give her 1000 per cent to a project, she cannot control its outcome and prefers to leave the rest to God.
In an exclusive interview with Mid-Day, Preity shared, "First of all, I am very proud of the film, and it's a very overwhelming experience. And as an actor, I am always managing expectations. Once I am working, I put in my 100 per cent. As I said earlier, I believe in karam (deed). You do your karam and then leave the rest to god. You can't control what happens. So, you work as hard as you can on every film; I give my 1000 per cent and then leave the rest to God."
Preity is all set to be seen in a different avatar in Kunal Kemmu's upcoming directorial Vibe. Speaking about her character and experience of working under Kunal's direction, she said, "The leader on the set was Kunal because he is the captain and the director. This is the first time I have played such a stone-faced, serious, kuch bhi kardegi character in a funny space. I have never done anything like this before, and it was completely different. I am really excited to see what people think about it."
Preity, who plays Madam H, an undercover agent in the film, performed several high-octane action scenes, making the physically demanding role quite challenging. She said, "When I knew I had to do a lot of action, I trained a lot. I bulked up and built muscle because I wanted to look tough, and Kunal was very sure that he wanted the character to be very strong and aggressive. So, I just followed his lead, and I am thankful that he imagined me in a role like this."
Backed by Kunal Kemmu and Chirag Nihalani under Drongo Films, Vibe stars Kemmu alongside Preity Zinta, Sparsh Shrivastava and Vanshika Dhir. Yashpal Sharma and Dinesh Lal Yadav also feature in key roles. The high-stakes action comedy, written and directed by Kemmu, is set to hit theatres on September 18, 2026.
