Priyanka observes that while good films are working, bad films, despite top star casts and huge budgets, are being rejected by the audience.

'It's as simple as that -- garbage in, garbage out,' she said. 'Thankfully India is changing for the better and there are some brilliant films being made today.'

Ask her to give a few examples and she responds in a jiffy, 'Movies like 'Dev D', 'Jodhaa Akbar', 'Rock On' and 'A Wednesday' have worked because they had an original script and were treated so differently and innovatively. These were all intelligent films and not made for kindergarten kids. No wonder audiences grabbed them all in a big way.'

She doesn't forget to mention her own movies from 2008 that saw her marching back into the reckoning.

'Both 'Dostana' and 'Fashion' were made within commercial parameters but still had a very good story to tell. These were not frivolous at all. That's the reason they succeeded.'

'In fact, the last film that really impressed me this year was 'New York'. Kudos to Yash Raj Films for backing such a subject and making such a good topical entertainer. It was a sensitive story to be told and Kabir Khan treated it with utmost maturity. Hats off.

'These are the kind of films that make you believe that Bollywood is indeed seeing a new direction for better', she said.

(Joginder Tuteja can be contacted at joginder_tuteja@rediffmail.com)