By Subhash K Jha

Preity has never felt happier. "I've just spent the most divine four days shooting with Mr Bachchan in Mussourie. The last time I was in Mussourie it was for another shoot. And guess what? It was again with Mr Bachchan for Armaan. Believe me, if I ever direct a film I'll cast him only."

Breathless with excitement she flew back to Mumbai on Saturday in a private plane. "Mr Bachchan was kind enough to give me a ride back. He has been the most wonderful co-star I've ever worked with. And his command over the craft...wow!"

While the Big B plays a veteran Shakespearean actor, Preity plays a bad actor in The Last Lear. "Playing a bad actor against Mr Bachchan was a pleasure specially when I had a director like Rituparno Ghosh to guide me to be bad on camera, ha ha. Ritu is a magician, and so calm. He kept trying these various wigs on his shaved head and we had a ball just watching Ritu experiment with his looks. As for my looks you've to see what Ritu has done with me. I've never looked like this before. It was all so much fun, and didn't seem like we were making a very serious film."

Coming back to her favourite subject Preity says, "I though I spoke good English....until I heard Mr Bachchan recite his dialogues in that Shakespearean baritone and I died....I had some of my foreigner friends visit us on the sets. They were

completely bowled over by Mr Bachchan. I had to tell them to relax, that they're firangis and they don't have to be so star-struck."

Back in Mumbai Preity is busy looking at several scripts. She has green-lighted Samir Karnik's Mera Bharat Mahaan. "I just fell in love with Samir's script. It's an episodic film with a very strong social message."

Preity will be paired with Salman Khan in this multi-starrer. Tell her she needs to do a full-on comedy and she pipes in, "Oh but Mr Bachchan, Abhishek and I have some really funny interludes together in Shaad Ali's Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom. You've watch us bring the roof down together."