Celina Jaitley is an Indian film actress who has mainly worked in Bollywood films. She is a former beauty queen and model, who was crowned the Femina Miss India Universe title in 2001. Jaitley made her debut and breakthrough in films in the year 2003, with the thriller film "Janasheen", alongside Fardeen Khan. She later went on to appear in multiple Hindi films like "Silsiilay" (2005), "No Entry" (2005), "Tom, Dick, and Harry" (2006) and "Golmaal Returns" (2008).
Early Life and Education of Celina Jaitley
Celina Jaitley was born on November 24, 1981 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, to father V. K. Jaitley, a Punjabi Indian Army Colonel from Punjab, India and an Afghan mother, Meeta, a psychologist from Kabul. She has a brother, who is currently serving the Indian Army Special Forces. Her father`s regular postings in several locations, made Jaitley grow up in different locations including Lucknow, Berhampur, Orissa and Kolkata. She did her schooling from City Montessori School in Lucknow. However, most of her childhood was spent in the Kashmir valley and the north eastern states of India, and later teenage years mostly in Kolkata. She changed 13 different schools overall, before completing her graduation from the Indira Gandhi National Open University.
During her teenage years, Jaitley aspired to be a part of the Indian army, either as a doctor or a pilot. She first worked at a marketing job in a cell phone company in Kolkata. However, she started modelling alongside studies at the age of 16, participating in a local beauty contest. She eventually participated in the 2001 Miss India pageant.
Modelling Career of Celina Jaitley
Celina Jaitley participated and went on to clinch the Femina Miss India Universe 2001 title, going on to represent India at the Miss Universe pageant the same year and finishing fourth runner-up. She also won the Miss Margo Beautiful Skin, Indiatimes Surfer`s Choice and MTV`s Most Wanted awards. She has been the brand ambassador of Egyptian tourism and Diya Diamond Jewellery from Gitanjali Group, the fastest growing jewellery brand in Indian market. She has also been voted the sexiest actress in Bollywood on a popular poll, and has featured on the covers of magazines like the Maxim Magazine. She has also endorsed Sepang Circuit Malaysia 2002, Ayur (Ayurvedic hair shampoos), Ponds, Margo, Proactv skin solutions and currently endorses RICHFEEL trichology clinics, 18 Again women"s intimate care, PETA and United Nations Equality Champion.
Film Career of Celina Jaitley
Celina first appeared in the popular music video of Jazzy B, "Oh Kehri". She also featured in the music videos of Bombay Vikings, such as "Zara Nazron Se Kehdo" wherein she was well appreciated. She eventually made her film debut and breakthrough with Feroz Khan"s thriller film "Janasheen", opposite his son Fardeen Khan, released in 2003. The movie was a moderate box office success. She had another release in the same year, "Khel", alongside Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty and cricketer-turned-actor Ajay Jadeja, which failed to do well commercially. In 2004, Jaitley appeared in the Telugu drama film "Suryam", opposite Mohan Babu.
Celina Jaitley"s first film in 2005 was "Silsiilay", a romance film directed by Khalid Mohammed wherein she portrayed the character Preeti in the third story. She was next seen as Sanjana Saxena in Anees Bazmee"s super hit comedy film "No Entry", which became the biggest blockbuster of the year. In 2006, she acted in "Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride", an adult drama opposite Emraan Hashmi which ended up doing above average business. She next featured in Sanjay Gupta"s film "Zinda", which received mixed reviews from critics. She subsequently featured in "Tom, Dick, and Harry", a comedy that received mixed but mostly negative reviews, with below average box office business. She worked in "Apna Sapna Money Money" opposite Riteish Deshmukh, which became a major blockbuster hit at the box office. In 2007, she featured in the crime thriller "Red: The Dark Side" and thriller drama "Shakalaka Boom Boom" that was panned by critics and flopped at the box office.
In 2008, Celina featured in an item number "Speaker Baje" in comedy film "C Kkompany", before later appearing in the role of Shruti in "Money Hai Toh Honey Hai". She later played the role of Meera in Rohit Shetty"s "Golmaal Returns", the sequel to the 2006 successful film "Golmaal: Fun Unlimited", receiving mixed response from critics but managing to do very well at the box office. In 2009, she played Kalpana in the semi-hit comedy "Paying Guests". The same year, she featured in the film "Accident on Hill Road". She next appeared in the 2010 film "Hello Darling". In 2011, she featured in Anees Bazmee"s romantic comedy "Thank You", which received negative reviews but faired well at the box office. The same year, she made her debut in Kannada cinema with the romance drama "Shrimathi", a remake of the 2004 Bollywood film "Aitraaz", playing the character of antagonist Sonia. The film grossed below average at the box office.
Filmography of Celina Jaitley
Celina Jaitley has acted in the following films thus far in her career, highlighted alongside her roles and respective years of release.
| Year | Film | Role |
| 2003 | Janasheen | Jessica Pereira |
| Khel | Saanjh Batra | |
| 2004 | Suryam (Telugu) | Madhubala |
| 2005 | Silsiilay | Preeti |
| No Entry | Sanjana Saxena | |
| 2006 | Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride | Roma Fernandes |
| Zinda | Nisha Roy | |
| Tom, Dick, and Harry | Celina | |
| Apna Sapna Money Money | Saania | |
| 2007 | Red: The Dark Side | Anahita Saxena |
| Shakalaka Boom Boom | Sheena | |
| Heyy Babyy | Special appearance | |
| 2008 | C Kkompany | Item number |
| Money Hai Toh Honey Hai | Shruti | |
| Golmaal Returns | Meera | |
| 2009 | Paying Guests | Kalpana |
| Accident on Hill Road | Sonam Chopra | |
| 2010 | Hello Darling | Candy Fernandes |
| 2011 | Thank You | Maya |
| Shrimathi | Sonia |