/> "Please find me a producer who makes a complete film in India. I'm shooting abroad all the time!"

Preity was recently in Bangkok shooting a shampoo ad. Before that she has just completed a world tour with one of her favourite co-stars Saif. She then rushed into Mumbai headed for Cannes with buddy Karan Johar.

"I was excited about Cannes because I was with one of my most entertaining friends who by the way knows French better than the French, so I didn't fear misinterpretation. I caught The Da Vinci Code there. But Karan and I were looking mainly at projecting our film Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna (KANK)."

She seems seriously possessed by Karan's passion. "I saw bits of the film recently at Karan's urging. What a film Karan has made! KANK is unlike anything we've seen before and certainly unlike anything I've done.

Everyone is beyond outstanding. Mr Bachchan and Shah Rukh need no endorsement from poor me. Rani is a rock star.

But Abhishek is going to shock you. His expressions, his interpretation of his character have to be seen to be believed. I truly believe Abhishek is the star of tomorrow. Me?

I never like myself on screen. But I must say KANK has changed my look and my personality completely. I play this cold woman which wasn't easy for a warm person like me to do. I've just a few expressions to give away. And I think I've done them well," she ends with breathless modesty.

And now she'll be paired with Abhishek again in Shaad Ali's Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom. "Again to be shot abroad. Groan groan," she mock-protests.

"We start the film in August and wrap it up by October. I guess it'd be released early next year. So I've three releases KANK, Shirish Kunder's Jaan-e-Man and then Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom in the next six months.

Wow! And to think that I had only one release Salaam Namaste since Veer-Zara. That's because I completely withdrew, stopped signing films and began to look at my life in a different way after Tsunami. Not many people know this.

But I nearly lost my life in Tsunami. Some of my close friends lost their lives. For almost eight months I stopped working. Hence the long gap between Veer-Zara and Salaam Namaste...Tsunami made me question my own life and priorities.

I decided , if I can't be happy now I can never be happy. Not that I was ever unhappy. But Tsunami made me value what I've. I wrote down all the things that I had in life to be grateful about. And it was quite a long list!

Today I've a rocking career , my mom is a rock star and my personal life couldn't get any better, touch wood. I can shop till I drop and I can visit any part of the world to work or to holiday. Earlier there would be a problem with Kareena or whoever. I find all that totally unnecesary now. Now I like all my co-stars."

She lights up at the thought of working with Bobby Deol and Abhishek Bachchan in Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom.

"That one is going to be an Aquarian special. All three of us are Aquarians. So it will be like three like-minded actors working together on a fun project. And what fun to work with two of my favourite co-stars.

Though Bobby and I have done only one film Soldier together we're truly fond of each other. He calls me Pritam Singh. As for Abhishek, he's one of the most cultured and funniest persons I've met. So yeah, we're going to have a ball."

More joy.....Preity attended the Paris premiere of Veer-Zara in the first week of May. "I flew down to Paris from my concert in Dallas for just one day to be there. And thank God! I was there with Shah Rukh, Rani and Yash Uncle. 15, 000 people watched the film in Paris, and we aren't talking about Indians and Asians.

There were the French and other foreigners. And the way they responded to Veer-Zara, it just made me think...Hindi cinema is becoming really hot in Europe. Two years since its release , and suddenly I was reminded in Paris of how important Veer-Zara is . Amazing!"

Now she feels Karan Johar's Kabha Alvida Na Kehna and Shirish Kunder's Jaan-e-Man will take her career further.

"In Karan's film I've done what no one expects me to. And though I'm chirpy in parts of Jaan-e-Man I got through two other phases in the story. It's a wonderful feel-good film. What's really exciting is that I get to play totally antithetical characters in these two films. So my two releases this year are going to show what I can do as an actor."

Preity has never felt better. "The spoilsports can say whatever they want about my life and career. I couldn't have hoped for more. I work out regularly, have started doing Yoga and I'm doing the work I like. After Jhoom Baraabar I'm looking at three other scripts. I'll choose one of them."

As for, ahem ahem, marriage... "That topic isn't on my mind door-door tak. Every time I'm asked about my marriage I ask the journalist, why such a stale question. The way the media is interested in my marriage they should get together to fund my wedding, ha ha."