Preeti Jhangiani was in Gandhinagar recently for the 4th PAFI (People’s Armwrestling Federation India) National Armwrestling and Para Armwrestling Championship. The actress-turned-sports entrepreneur, who is the president of PAFI and vice-president of the Asian Armwrestling Federation, spoke exclusively to us about her unexpected journey into professional strength sports, her passion for promoting the sport, whether she has moved on from films, and explained why she is now highly selective about acting projects. She shares, “I was amazed by Ahmedabad’s transformation—from its ever-excellent food to its impressive infrastructure, roads, and world-class sports stadiums. The city is clearly ready to host the Commonwealth Games. The scale of development across Ahmedabad and Gujarat is remarkable, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.”‘Once an actor, always an actor’Has she stepped away from acting? Preeti smiles, “Once an actor, always an actor. Sport is a huge part of my life now, and we travel constantly. We barely get time for family, let alone films. But I’m listening to a lot of scripts. My last project, Kafas, received a great response, and I’m exploring stories for films too—different characters as well as lead roles. So, you’ll definitely see me on screen soon. That part of me will never go away. The same goes for Parvinn (Dabass, her husband)—he’s working on two very big films. Despite what people may think, neither of us has moved away from acting. We never will; it will always be our first love.”She adds, “At this stage, I’m very selective. A project has to be worth my time and genuinely excite me. Many fans ask what I’m doing next, and I don’t want to disappoint them—or myself. So, I slowed down on films. I wanted to focus on work that truly inspires me. Any role I take up should justify the time I spend away from my family and away from sport. I see Raveena Tandon and Madhuri Dixit doing incredible work on OTT. Many actresses from the 2000s and earlier are delivering great performances. If a show, story, or character truly appeals to me, I would definitely love to be part of it.”‘Wanted to make a difference by supporting arm wrestling’Sharing how she and Parvinn got involved in arm wrestling, Preeti says, “Life often takes unexpected turns. I never planned to enter modelling or acting when I moved to Mumbai, but opportunities came my way. Through our production house, which made films and a mixed martial arts podcast, we realised that sports had immense growth potential and decided to explore sports promotion. After watching an arm-wrestling match in Punjab, I was hooked. It was incredibly exciting, had a low financial entry barrier and huge potential, yet lacked a professional league in India or globally despite a thriving amateur scene.”She adds, “We saw a unique opportunity for India to become a global force in arm wrestling. The sport is engaging, easy to understand, adaptable to both short and long formats, and showcases strength in a family-friendly way without the extreme violence that often puts off Indian audiences. We wanted to promote arm wrestling because the sport is set to grow tremendously over the next decade, and this was a space with very little support or investment. Unlike other sports that already had several stakeholders and active players, arm wrestling was an area where our involvement could genuinely make a difference.”‘What Mohabbatein did for me was unbelievable’Preeti smiles as she reflects on the lasting impact of Mohabbatein, “That image of me will never leave people’s minds. Many are surprised to see me in a gritty sport like arm wrestling and say, ‘You’re the last person we expected here.’ But I don’t feel the need to change my persona. I’m still that girl. During Mohabbatein, I was incredibly shy, just like my character. Years of performing on stage and speaking before audiences have helped me come out of my shell, but people still approach me about the film all the time. That role and the film will never be forgotten, and the credit goes entirely to Aditya Chopra. What Mohabbatein did for me was unbelievable—the love and popularity it brought have been immense. I’ve been able to channel that affection into bringing attention to arm wrestling, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.”‘India has a strong reputation within the global arm-wrestling community’Talking about their journey into sports administration, which began with a professional arm-wrestling league, Preeti says, “Officials from the Asian and World Arm-wrestling Federations encouraged us to help govern the sport and establish a federation. Now, Parvinn oversees the professional league. This natural division of responsibilities has reduced overlap and helped India build a strong reputation within the global arm-wrestling community.”She adds, “Arm wrestling is rapidly attracting participants and fans across all demographics. Women, in particular, are drawn to the passion, power and intensity of the matches.”
