Preity Zinta is regarded as one of the prettiest and most talented actresses in Bollywood film industry. Born on January 31, 1975, this talented actress has acted in many hit movies. She has also done movies in other languages apart from Hindi, which include Telegu and English. The actress was born in a Hindu Rajput family in Rohru in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Her father name was Durganand Zinta and mother Nilprabha. Her father was in the Indian Army who died in a car accident. Preity has two brothers Deepankar and Manish. She studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary boarding school in Shimla and got enrolled at St Bede`s College in Shimla. Later she did graduation in psychology and earned a post graduate degree in the same specialising in criminal psychology.
Preity Zinta`s Film Career
Zinta made her acting debut with the movie, "Dil Se" opposite Shahrukh Khan. Following her performance in the movie, she got the offer to enact in a lead role in the movie, "Soldier" opposite Bobby Deol directed by Abbas - Mustan. Zinta has done many diverse and multi -dimensional roles in Hindi movies, which has made her one of the most respected actress in the silver screen. Following the success in the previous two movies, she also got offers from south and acted in two Telegu movies Premante Idera in the year 1998 opposite Venkatesh and Raja Kumarudu in the year 1999 opposite Mahesh Babu. In 1999, she played the leading role in the Mahesh Bhatt directed movie "Sangharsh" opposite Akshay Kumar. Inspired from the Hollywood movie, "The Silence of the Lambs" it became a success at the box-office.
Preity`s next movie Kya Kehna was based on teenage pregnancy and single parenthood where Preity performed excellently which turned her career to a roller-coaster ride. With such intense performance, she started to get more offers from different producers and filmmakers for their movies. She next ventured in Mission Kashmir, a film based on Indo-Pak conflicts along with Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt. In 2001, Preity earned positive reviews from the critics as well as the audiences for her role in Farhan Akhtar`s National Film Award-winning "Dil Chahta Hai", opposite Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna.
Zinta`s other notable projects were Chori Choti Chupke Chupke, with Salman Khan and Rani Mukherjee, Hero: Love Story of a Spy along with Sunny Deol, Koi... Mil Gaya with Hrithik Roshan, Kal Ho Na Ho with Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, Lakshya with Hrithik Roshan, Veer-Zara opposite Shahrukh Khan, Saalam Namaste pairing with Saif Ali Khan,and the multi starrer Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna with Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee.
Preity has also performed in an English movie The Last Lear directed by Rituparno Ghosh along with Amitabh Bachchan. She has acted in Deepa Mehta`s Heaven on Earth, a true story of a battered woman.
Awards and Honours to Preit
y Zinta
Preity has been the winner of Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for Dil Se and Soldier. She has also won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film Kal Ho Na Ho. Also her performance in Heaven on Earth earned her the Best Actress (Silver Hugo) award at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.
Her first world tour Craze 2001 was in US with Anil Kapoor, Amir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Gracy Singh. In 2002 she took part in concert From India With Love in UK with stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. She was also a part of the Temptations 2004 concert with Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra. Zinta toured with Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley in the Heat 2006.
Preity has also been an active socialist. She has been championing women oriented issues like raising voice against female infanticide and has also been part of AIDS awareness campaigns. Zinta was also a part of the HELP! Telethon Concert, a programme initiated for raising money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake. She also remained the ambassador of Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Movement. She has also been a part of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to curb human trafficking in India.
Currently Preity Zinta along with Ness Wadia and others owns an IPL (Indian Premier League) team of Kings XI Punjab.