Mumbai : Actor Preity Zinta says actors today face more pressure than they did earlier, with the growing paparazzi culture and invasive nature of social media putting them under harsh spotlights they did not have to deal with in the past.

Zinta, who settled in the US after her marriage in 2016, was back in Mumbai to promote her upcoming spy comedy “Vibe” with Kunal Kemmu. In the film, which arrives in theatres just weeks after the release of her Partition drama “Batwara 1947” with Sunny Deol, features Zinta in the quirky role of Madam H, a spy who recruits and trains two bumbling friends for a high-stakes secret mission. Asked what was the biggest cultural shock when she made her comeback to movies, she said acting now involves dealing with things beyond the movie set.

“The biggest cultural shock for me is not to do with the movies itself, it’s around the movies. Like, the paparazzi, the invasiveness of social media. Earlier, we just had to act when we go on set and finish. Here, how you dress is important, your airport look is important. If you’re sad, you’ve to be fashionably sad or if you’re happy, you have to be fashionably happy.

“If there’s anything that’s happening in the country, you need to be informed, you need to comment, you need to say the right thing… So, it’s a lot more pressure. The job is not limited to just the set, it’s the optics around the set and then you’re supposed to look amazing,” Zinta told PTI in an interview.

According to the “Kal Ho Naa Ho” star, now that she is back, she wants to work at her own pace and on projects that appeal to her.

“If you look at my career choices, when I started my career with ‘Kya Kehna’, which was an unwed teenage pregnancy. Then I did ‘Soldier’, which was commercial, ‘Sangharsh’ was also very different, and then I played a prostitute in ‘Chori Chori Chupke Chupke’.

“I wanted always to do roles that try to give me as much range as commercially possible. I was excited about ‘Vibe’, not only is it fun, it also has been a character that I’ve never done before. I wanted to do action for a very long time. So, thanks to Kunal to even think of me in a role like this.” Zinta, 51, said playing Madam H was both exciting and terrifying because it felt like uncharted territory for her.

“I’m sure people are going to enjoy it because if we laughed so much while doing the film, I’m sure people are going to laugh.” The actor, who credited action director Parvez Shaikh for making her look cool in the film’s action sequences, said such movies with women will work only when the script is good.

“A good script where the action fits in would be great. Today, from army to other places, women are involved. It’s just how you put it across, and that’s the filmmaker’s job. If it is supported by enough reasoning and a good script, I’m sure it will work.” Asked about the box office failure of “Batwara 1947” despite good reviews, Zinta said, “I believe in effort, you work hard and do your best and then leave it to the world. Same with ‘Vibe’, we worked very hard on it, and I hope people will like it.” The actor, however, said audiences should support good movies in theatres.

“A lot of times people say, good movies don’t come to theatres. If you don’t go and watch it in theatres, then how will it come?” Produced by Kemmu and Chirag Nihalani under their production banner Drongo Films, in association with Amazon MGM Studios, “Vibe” will be out in cinemas on September 18. Kemmu also stars in the movie alongside Sparsh Shrivastava and Vanshika Dhir