PREITY ZINTA in Mahesh Manjrekar's Next

" I can't be doing the bubbly dimpled babe all my life," said Preity Zinta on making her long-awaited comeback to the silver screen and this time she is venturing out of her comfort zone.

The actress is all geared up to star in Mahesh Manjrekar's film, White, which is a hard-hitting drama about a woman, who goes through several shades of dark and light experiences, right from her 20s to her 60s.

Apparently when Preity read the script she was ecstatic. She teased Manjrekar and asked, "Why me? Why not Tabu who is your favourite actress?"

Zinta refrained from commenting on Manjrekar's offer and simply said, "At this stage of my career I need new challenges. Luckily, directors can see beyond my chirpy I'm-so-happy image."

The last we saw Zinta in a not-so bubbly role was in 2008, when she played a battered wife, in Deepa Mehta's Heaven on Earth.

Manjrekar, who had not directed a Hindi film for five years, made a comeback last year with the gritty City Of Gold. He is currently shooting for Anees Bazmi's Ready in Bangkok. When asked about his project with Zinta, he tells us, "I'll finalize the project when I return to Mumbai