Preity Zinta is all set to make her long-awaited return to the silver screen with ‘Batwara 1947’, ending an eight-year break from films. Once among Bollywood’s most bankable actresses in the 2000s, Preity gradually stepped away from acting after getting married and embracing motherhood, choosing to focus on her family rather than pursuing projects regularly.Speaking to the media on Tuesday ahead of the film’s release, Preity reflected on returning to film sets after such a long gap. When asked if she was nervous, she admitted that stepping back in front of the camera came with its share of anxiety.“There were nerves,” she said in an interview with Hindustan Times. The actor revealed that director Rajkumar Santoshi made things even more challenging by scheduling one of the film’s toughest scenes on her very first day. She credited co-star Sunny Deol for helping her stay calm through the experience.“He (director Santoshi) tortured me on day one by putting the most difficult scene of the film on the first day. So I was just looking at him (Sunny Deol), and I was shaking ki abhi main kya karoon (what do I do know)? He is a wonderful, big-hearted, kind, decent, good human being to work with because he really was like, ‘Don’t worry, he loves retakes. Kuch khaayegi’ (Will you eat something)?”Despite the difficult start, Preity said her confidence returned once that demanding sequence was completed. “We shot the whole night. We did the look test, and the next day we did one or two readings, and then we were shooting. After that, it kind of felt easier.”The actor’s previous theatrical release was Bhaiyaji Superhit in 2018, which also featured Sunny Deol. Although she stayed away from Bollywood for years, Preity said she never felt the absence of acting because she was fully immersed in her personal life.“I didn’t miss it, to be honest. I was enjoying having a family; it was new to me, having kids, focusing on my personal life. And however big my career milestones might be, my greatest milestone was to have children.”Preity also shared that becoming a mother helped her better understand the emotional depth of her character in ‘Batwara 1947’. She plays a Muslim woman whose husband, portrayed by Sunny Deol, shelters a Hindu woman in their Lahore home during the turbulent days following the Partition of India.“That’s why I could identify with this film that even though it’s 2026, my number one priority is family. So imagine, in 1947, how it must have been. It’s a very different worldview from the different lens in those times.”Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, *Batwara 1947* features an ensemble cast that includes Shabana Azmi, Karan Deol, Ali Fazal, Abhimanyu Singh, Khushi Hajare, and Kanikka Kapur. The film’s soundtrack has been composed by AR Rahman, with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. It has also received clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) without any cuts and is scheduled to arrive in theatres on August 14.
