Source: CineBlitz, May 2004 Issue
Preity’s bitter fight with Farhan and co…
Preity Zinta has always been one to nurture friendships and relationships. Be it with Hrithik, Farhan Akhtar or her newly acquired friend Karan Johar. Her long-standing association with Hrithik and Farhan is known to the industry. So close is she to Akhtar family that one hears that Farhan didn’t even consider any other actress while writing Lakshya.
Unfortunately, like most industry relationships, this association seems to have run into rough weather too. On April 7 at the music launch of Lakshya, at Taj Land’s End. Preity was conspicuous by her absence as was Amitabh Bachchan. The only star that did show up for the music launch was Hrithik.
This was enough to set tongues wagging. When asked why Preity was missing in action, Farhan Akhtar sheepishly replied that she was expected to arrive any moment. The media waited patiently for almost 2 hours but there was no sign of her at the function at all.
Sensing that all was not as hunky-dory as Farhan was portraying it to be, Cine Blitz decided to probe deeper. Our initial efforts to get to the bottom of the story proved futile. “There is not problem whatsoever between Preity and Farhan” we were told. “They are very good friends and Preity is the kind of girl who will never let any misunderstanding come in the way of her friendships. She was busy
that day and in spite of trying to juggle her appointments she couldn’t wriggle out of them,” said another Akhtar camper.
However, an insider has a different story to tell. This is what he had to say, “Yes, there very definitely is a problem between Preity and Ritesh Sidwani, the producer of Lakshya. I think Farhan has just got caught in the crossfire.”
Further questioning revealed that the problems between the unit at the top brass of the film arose because Ritesh and Farhan have changed from the genial gentlemen they were before Dil Chahta Hai was released and became a hit. They have apparently continuously had problems with the actors and the unit members of the film because of their highhanded behavior. It is by now a well-documented fact that Amitabh Bachchan was extremely displeased with the way Farhan Akhtar publicly gave him a dressing down. Even worse was the conditions of the character artistes and the junior artistes in the film. Their complaint apparently is that they were being made to work under too much regimentation, with not a thought given to anyone’s problems.
We hear that the names of all those actors who refused to bow under pressure have been struck off the credits of the film.
What kind of pressure, we asked. Our source revealed that Ritesh Sidwani and Farhan Akhtar would constantly require the junior and the character artists to be available for film shootings and publicity shoots at a days notice. Failing which, their names were stuck off the credits of the film one by one,
and they went missing even from the publicity stills.
Apparently problems between Preity and the producer- director duo of the film arose during the shoot of their publicity campaign. One hears that a day before the shoot, without any notice, Preity was reportedly summarily summoned for the shoot by Farhan; being asked to put in her attendance come hell or high water. Preity, a busy star, is supposed to have thrown a fit with them, accusing them of being too presumptuous. But the professional that Preity is, she did land up for the shoot, though for only a little while since she had other commitments to honor. Subsequently, we hear that Ritesh Sidwani ordered for pictures of Preity to be removed from the publicity campaign. And this was evident at the music launch where only the pictures that could be seen were that of Hrithik Roshan.
Not that the actor hasn’t had his share of problems on the sets of Lakshya. Unit members were buzzing of stories of how Farhan almost made Hrithik breakdown at the outdoors schedule in Ladakh with his excessively demanding behavior.
Preity, a silent spectator to the humiliation of Mr. Bachchan and Hrithik, decided she had enough on the day prior to the music launch at Taj Land’s End. What apparently angered her was the manner in which she was invited to the music launch. Again, no prior notice was given. She was just expected to drop everything on her agenda and dance attendance to Ritesh Sidwani and Farhan Akhtar. She was faxed a copy of the schedule, the time she was expected to arrive, what she was expected to wear and a questionnaire that told her exactly what to answer when she was questioned about Lakshya. This is when Preity saw RED! She then reportedly decided that she had enough of being ordered around by the producer and director; and though she would show her displeasure in a manner that left nothing unsaid. She is supposed to have fumed to a friend that she was no child to be told what to do. She had a standing of her own in the industry, she was respected for her talent and her position and no way was anyone going to tell her how to handle the media and how to dress for an official function!
Industry insiders are discussing Preity’s absence from the music launch as a fitting reply to Ritesh
Sidwani and Farhan Akhtar. With all eyes on a big film like Lakshya, the absence of the heroine herself is bound to raise both eyebrows and comments!