Preity Zinta has decided to go ahead with the shooting of "Jaan-e-Man" with Salman Khan, saying the tapes that allegedly quote the actor making personal attacks on her seem "unreal".

"We start shooting in New York from Sep 1. It was always meant to be like that. The tapes didn't affect my decision to do the film in any way," Preity told IANS.

But wasn't the film's first schedule cancelled? "I don't think so. They shot bits of it. My participation in the initial shooting was always meant to be minimal."

Preity was allegedly referred to in unsavory language in the tapes, which also refer to Salman's alleged connections with the underworld.

"Whatever its authenticity I find it rather strange that the tapes surfaced now at a time when Salman is making a genuine effort to put his life together. And the text sounds so staccato, unreal. Obviously, it was meant to harm rather than do society any good."

It's been a tumultuous time for Preity. First the lengthy non-stop schedule for Siddharth Anand's "Salaam Namaste", then the shock of the Salman tapes.

Then press reports stated a series of threatening obscene messages from an anonymous source. "Not SMS messages," she rectifies.

"They were calls, really weird whacked-out calls. Frankly they unnerved me. At times like this a working girl feels so unprotected, vulnerable and compromised. I therefore lodged a police complaint. That's all."