‘Preity is a gift’ - Deepa Mehta

NRI filmmaker Deepa Mehta, whose latest venture on domestic abuse, called Videsh in India and Heaven On Earth abroad, is ready for release in India, was so impressed by actress Preity Zinta's intelligence and talent that she has no qualms in saying that she is a "gift from above".

"Preity is extremely talented.

I had seen her body of work but I met her, for the first time, at IIFA in England.

We spoke about so many things and issues.

I was blown away by her intelligence and social consciousness and that's what made me offer her the role of Chand.

She has truly given a mind-blowing performance," Deepa told reporters.

Preity won the Best Actress award at the Chicago Film Festival last year for her performance in the film.

She has also been nominated alongside Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon at this year's Genie Awards that will take place in Canada in April.

The film, which revolves around the life of a young woman (Preity) from the rural hinterland of Punjab who migrates to Canada post marriage, is set to hit screens March 27.

While it will be released as Videsh in India, it opened to international audiences as Heaven On Earth.

Videsh is a film very close to my heart and I really enjoyed making it.

The film is about two things.

One, the triumph of imagination and two, about immigration and isolation," explained Deepa, who has earlier made women-centric films like Fire and Water.

"Domestic abuse is the major theme of this film.

But that's not the only thing the film deals with.

Domestic abuse has an environment and a socio-economic atmosphere.

It can happen to anyone anywhere.

I have also tried to portray the isolation and the pain of a woman who has migrated to another place," she added.

The Canada-based filmmaker's forthcoming projects are Exclusion with Akshay Kumar and a film based on Salman Rushdie's book Midnight's Children.