Preity Zinta was in Kolkata Monday, 15 Oct 2007 to inaugurate a durga puja pandal. Seen here in a file photo Preity Zinta attends a Go Air event as their brand ambassador. Photo Credit: IANS

30 October 2007 (Sawf News) - We are sworn to mind our business and confine ourselves to what the stars want us to hear when they come courting the press to promote their films but just every now and then a doozy of a rumor falls into our laps.

This one involves rumblings of a certain off screen connection developing between Preity Zinta and her co-star Shiney Ahuja.

Pretty intriguing, wouldn't you say?

Our snoops on the sets of Jahnu Barua's film Har Pal tell us the two are quite a pair. Har pal inseparable. Yes, yes, just good friends and all that, but it seems Ms. Zinta loves popping into Shiney's make-up van as often as she can between shots.

Well, we guess that settles the age old question of "Your place or mine?" Clearly his. But his van?

No, nothing as juicy as catching anyone red handed, but certainly red faced. Seems Preity trooped into his van, robustly and with great familiarity only to realize he was not alone.

Embarrassed and struggling to cover up the true reason for her boisterous entrance, she fumbled with excuses and finally told him she was there to call him for their next shot together.

Well, unless Ms. Z has taken a pay cut and donned the cap of the Assistant Director it clearly wasn't her job to do so.

Which clearly means, she's a terrible liar or, and just as bad, so eager to be constantly in touch with him that she's taken to borrowing the duties of a stars' inferior, the crewmember.

What's next, Preity running around as his spot boy with Umbrella hovering over his shiny greatness?

Either way, the reasoning was as sheer as Mandakini's saree under a RK waterfall and it left Shiney stuttering for a response. He excused himself from his Filmi guests and went to the door to have a hushed word with her.

Unnaturally cheerful, she wished them all well and extricated herself as best as she could for her faux pas.

Shiney, ever the "gentleman", thought the best way to underplay the situation was to make light of it. He commented with a shake of the head and a well practiced sigh, the old Aunty just wouldn't leave him alone.

Yes, poor dear, sick of the harassment from his senior heroine, is he? So much so, he's signed on the dotted line to act in another film with her. Oh, but at least the chemistry boiling between them will have some relief what with the new script apparently an intimate look at the breakdown of a once loving marriage.

Funny, isn't it how art imitates life. Oh gosh, that isn't to suggest Shiney Ahuja, if rumors are to be believed, may be doing a lot more practical of a study of how to mess up a marriage.

And as far Ms. Zinta goes... Well last heard, she was still apparently very tight with Ness Wadia. Yes, the same Ness, she insisted to those around her she was settling down to marry.

Oh, but we never did get around to telling you about the night when a group of friends sat around at the wee hours of popular suburban Mumbai eatery talking love and marriage. The only one who seemed mum about the whole topic was a certain Mr. Wadia, despite the best efforts of Preity to get him to comment.