20 years of Mohabbatein : mypencildotcom Speaks to Preeti Jhangiani : COVER STORY

Preeti Jhangiani made her Bollywood debut with the super-hit multi-starrer film Mohabbatein in 2000. She has also been the recipient of the International Indian Film Association(IIFA)award for Best Female Debut.
Firstly, Chandni asked a frequently asked question to Preeti to explain her journey from first appearing in Rajshri Productions music album Yeh Hai Prem in 1997.

Preeti Jhangiani answered that she didn’t have any inclination towards being a model or an actress. She went to explain that her mother (Menka Jhangiani) was from an educational background and has been the Vice Principal of Jai Hind College and has taught at College for over 30 years.

Preeti Jhangiani Journey began when..

Her professional journey began when she participated in a fresh face hunt for a Colgate Gel Ad which eventually led to her professional shot images reaching Rajshri Music who were on the hunt for a fresh face for their upcoming music video.

Preeti goes on to make a funny claim that she had no idea to apply make-up when she was cast. Both her parents Gobind Jhangiani and Menka Jhangiani were open-minded to the possibility of being a part of a music video. Her father was so supportive that he went to the extent of playing her father on screen in the music video.
Preeti casually name drops fashion designer, Manish Malhotra, the late Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan and the late Rajjat Barjatya who was the driving force behind Rajshri Productions passed away due to cancer in 2020.
Chandni proceeded with the next question, about the challenges faced by her while shooting her debut film with Bollywood bigwigs.

Preeti further goes on to explain the behind-the-scenes journey of her debut film “Mohabbatein” with a star cast of Amitabh Bachan and Shah Ruk Khan. With a very supportive Aditya Chopra made Preeti practice and rehearse to instill a sense of confidence in her.

Preeti Jhangiani kathak training…

Preeti Jhangiani further explained in detail that every morning under the guidance of a Masterji, she was trained in Kathak and Bharatnatyam. Even going the extra mile to perfect her body language to embody the role of a classical dancer, she even trained with Farah Khan’s troupe in folk dance.

As the role to be played was that of a classical dancer, she put in her blood, sweat, and tears into the rigorous 8 months of training for his role as she didn’t have any previous dance training.
From Hindi diction, voice throwing lessons to intricate theatre training, everything was practiced for this role.
Chandni asked the most pivotal question in the interview where Preeti was told to explain how she maintained work-life balance. Preeti hilariously said that she doesn’t dance as much as before now.

Preeti Jhangiani Started Swen Entertainment Pvt Ltd…

Preeti announced that her entertainment company was named Swen Entertainment Pvt Ltd.
The company was founded with her husband when they got married.
She also announced that she would be producing her first film as well as a Web Series named ” Maybe Each Other” would be launching soon.

Preeti Jhangiani goes further to explain the shows from Sven Entertainment, namely the AMA India Show, Monsoon Wedding Show, and launched a sports league for arm wrestling named “Pro Punja League”.
Preeti goes on to explain her two children, a son Jaiveer who is 9, and her second son named Dev who is four. She goes on to further explain her hectic life which keeps her hands full.
Chandni asked Preeti to explain her experience of working in regional films.
Preeti went on to explain her surprise while working in the South Indian Industry which she believes to be very professional.

Preeti Jhangiani : Bengali Films or Punjabi Films?

While finding working in the two Punjabi language films easy, she found working in Bengali most difficult. Overcoming her challenges and excelling in acting in other languages regional films namely Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.
Successfully even dubbing for the languages she is not able to fully understand and speak.
Preeti goes on to explain the recent boom of representation where strong women-led stories in Bollywood are being produced and being well-received by the public.
Chandni asks Preeti to explain her source of positivity and motivation to keep going.

Preeti exclaims that everyone faces hurdles in life, and needs to learn to take life in its stride.
Surrender to the flow of life by not worrying about things unnecessarily.
Preeti advises doing a little yoga and hydrating yourself to shift your mindset.
Ms.Chandni asks about the famous instance when a mob of fans overshadowed an album promotion at the Hallmark Store in Pune and how they made her feel?

When Preeti Jhangiani struck among fans…

Preeti goes on to explain that she did her first music video “Yeh hai Prem” with Abbas at the age of 16.
While at 17, she did the infamous Rajshri Music Video which struck a chord with fans. Preeti also went on to do a series of music videos in the form of a continuous story.

Chandni asks Preeti, where does she see herself 10 years down the line in the competitive Bollywood Industry?
Preeti reveals her longing to do more acting as she has a lot to offer in that capacity. She wants to play challenging characters to explore her wavelength as an actor.
She is grateful to still be making and producing stories that entertain people. She also exclaims that if she produces the film, it would be hard to act in the same film.

Ms.Chandni asks Preeti to reveal when she felt that a particular moment was the turning point in her life?
Preeti is stumped by this question as she was very young when she started her professional journey which made her not realize the turning point in her career. In her expansive repertoire of Hindi and regional language films, she considers ” Mohabbatein” to be that turning point in her life.

Chandni asks Preeti to inform us of the changes that her life has gone through during the Covid-19 lockdown?
Preeti has had a lot of time to spend with her family and her dear children. But as a working woman and a mother trying to juggle everything on top of household chores, she is left with no time at the end of the day.

Preeti Jhangiani’s message to MYPENCILDOTCOM Readers & viewers..

Chandni concludes the interview by asking Preeti for an inspiring message for the audience & readers of mypencildotcom magazine.
Preeti humbly ends with the phrase “This too shall pass”.

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Interview by : Mypencildotcom

Translated by : Rupanshi

Edited by : team Mypencildotcom

Interview Source : Mypencildotcom Youtube LIVE