Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta प्रीति ज़िंटा
Preity Zinta on the sets of Indian Idol 2 (2006)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1998 - present
Spouse	None
Partner	Ness Wadia (2005 - present)
Website	PreityZinta.Com

Preity Zinta (Hindi: प्रीति ज़िंटा. Pronunciation: /priːt̪ɪ zɪɳʈaː/ born January 31, 1975) is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi, Telugu and English movies.

A criminal psychology graduate, Zinta made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se in 1998, and had her first commercial success with Soldier in the same year. She won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for both films, and was later recognized for her performance as a teenage single mother in Kundan Shah's hit movie Kya Kehna. Following this, she went on to demonstrate her versatility as an actress, by portraying a variety of unique characters, each distinct from typical roles played by Indian actresses at that point of time, introducing a new image of a Hindi film heroine.

Zinta received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2003. She played the lead female role in two consecutive top grossing films, the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya, which is her biggest commercial success to date, and the musical/ romance film Veer-Zaara, which earned her much critical acclaim. She was later praised for her portrayal of an independent, modern Indian woman in international hits like Salaam Namaste and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, which established her as one of the most prominent leading actresses of contemporary Hindi cinema. According to the Indian box office, she is rated with the highest success ratio of 65% among Bollywood actresses of this generation.

In addition to acting, Zinta is also a columnist, having co-written several columns for BBC News Online South Asia with writers such as Ahmed Rashid and Kaushik Basu, is an active stage performer, and a humanitarian. She is widely known in the Indian media for her penchant for publicly speaking her mind and openly expressing her forthright opinions, occasionally surrounding herself with controversy.

Early life and background

Born on January 31 1975 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Zinta hails from a Hindu Rajput family of Rohru in Shimla District. Her father, Durganand Zinta was an officer in the Indian Army. Durganand Zinta died when Preity was thirteen in a car accident which also involved her mother, Nilprabha Zinta. Her mother survived, but was severely injured and consequently bedridden for two years. Zinta has two brothers both of whom she is very close to. Deepankar Zinta, a year older than her is a commissioned officer in the Indian Army, while Manish, a year younger is settled in Los Angeles.

Zinta, a self-confessed tomboy in the earlier stages of her life, was primarily influenced by her father, and, as a child groomed in an army household, learnt the principles of discipline and punctuality. She studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary boarding school in Delhi which meant that she returned home only on vacations. The infrequent visits home did not deter her from pursuing her education at a boarding school, however, as she commented in an interview with The Times of India, "I didn't regret spending time away from them because I had a perfect set of friends." As a student she exhibited a love of literature, particularly William Shakespeare and poetry. At one point she even tried writing poetry herself, and, according to her, "I soon realised what I wrote was rubbish. So I put all my literary pursuits in a drawer, and gave up the idea of ever becoming a poet." Whilst she was a good student, she was also interested in sports, regularly playing basketball; as an adult she continues to remain physically active and fit. Zinta describes her father's death as one of her most terrible experiences: "I can never forget the scene with my brothers all crying. I felt so lost and helpless then. I did not know what to do." According to her, it was a significant turning point in her life, as she was forced to grow up.

Zinta completed school at the age of 18 and enrolled at the University of Mumbai. She initially planned to study for an English honours major, but later decided to pursue psychology. After earning a degree in criminal psychology at the St Bede's College in Shimla, Zinta pursued a different career path in modeling.

Her first advert for Perk chocolates happened purely by chance when she met an advert director named Kunal at a friend's birthday party; he informed her that he had written an ad script which would be ideal for her, and persisted that she attend the audition. According to Zinta, "I was apprehensive, I thought what harm could come from just auditioning – there would be five people there and why would anybody pick me? Only, instead of five, there were fifty, and I got selected after saying just two lines with the chocolate in hand." She later appeared in several catalogues and took part in numerous other commercials, such as that of Liril.

Film career

Early career

Zinta met Shekhar Kapur when she accompanied her friend to an audition and was asked to audition, too. Coincidentally, after seeing her audition, Kapur insisted that she become an actress. Zinta was originally scheduled to make her screen debut in Kapur's Tara Rum Pum Pum opposite Hrithik Roshan, but the film never took off resulting in Kapur later recommending that Mani Ratnam sign her for his next film, Dil Se.

Technically, her first film was Kundan Shah's Kya Kehna, but its release was delayed until 2000. The delay of another film, Soldier meant that she made her acting debut with Dil Se (1998), opposite Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Unusually for Indian cinema standards, her debut role was a full twenty minutes long. However, it was eventually noticed for Zinta's unique role, in respect to the forthright character she portrayed of a middle class Delhi girl. Her performance was appreciated, earning her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination. She then played her first leading role in the action drama Soldier, which became one of the year's biggest hits. Dil Se and Soldier were considered her breakthrough roles and she won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her performances in both films.

She then gained some experience in the Tollywood film industry, and starred in two Telugu films, Premante Idera (1998) opposite Venkatesh, and Raja Kumarudu (1999) opposite Mahesh Babu. This was followed in 1999 by Tanuja Chandra's female-oriented thriller Sangharsh, co-starring alongside Akshay Kumar. Though the film was not a box office success, it presented Zinta an opportunity to explore new avenues, and her performance as a CBI officer, a woman of strong convictions, was critically acclaimed. Film critic Anish Khanna from Planet Bollywood noted, "Preity Zinta proves with Sangharsh that she is capable of much, much, much more than the typical song and dance roles usually played to death by other actresses in her age bracket."

Breakthrough (2000–2002)

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Zinta as the teenage single mother Priya Bakshi in Kya Kehna (2000), her breakthrough role.

Zinta's first release in 2000 was the delayed drama film Kya Kehna which was not expected to make an impact at the box office, but it turned out to be the surprise hit of the year. The film was known for its bold social controversial theme of single parenthood and teenage pregnancy, and gained Zinta wider recognition as an actress both from the audience and from film critics. Her portrayal of a teenage single mother who tries to fight society and overcome its prejudices earned her a number of nominations, including her first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare.

Later that year, she starred in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's drama Mission Kashmir alongside Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan. Set in the valley of Kashmir during the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, the movie follows the life and tragedy of a young boy named Altaaf, who later gets into a constant rivalry with his father. Despite its violent topic of terrorism and crime, the film was a critical success, as well as the third highest grossing film of the year. Zinta played the role of Sufiya Parvez, a TV reporter and Aaltaf's childhood love; the performance earned her positive reviews. Naresh Kumar Deoshi from ApunKaChoice.Com noted, "Preity Zinta is no longer a bubbly chatterbox. With the characteristic ease of a veteran she plays the demure TV reporter."

In 2001 she starred alongside Aamir Khan in Farhan Akhtar's National Film Award-winning Dil Chahta Hai, a realistic romance which depicts the contemporary, routine life of Indian youth, with Zinta playing a young sensitive girl, Shalini. The film entered into the top five highest grossing films of the year, yet its eventual box office verdict was only average. M. Ali Ikram from Planet Bollywood noted, "Preity is Preity, lovable and extremely pretty all the time. Plus, you know what this woman is always thinking thanks to that great emotive visage."

2001 saw three more releases by Zinta, but she was mainly recognized with Abbas Mustan's romantic drama Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, which was released after a delay of one year due to the consequences of the Bharat Shah case. The film was one of the first Bollywood movies to handle the taboo issue of surrogate childbirth. Zinta took the supporting role of Madhubala, a prostitute who is hired as a surrogate mother; she received unequivocal praise for her portrayal. Her performance in the film earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Filmfare. Sukanya Verma from Rediff.com wrote of her performance, "Preity Zinta, who clearly has the meatiest part of all, makes the best of it. Her transformation from the cocky and unabashed prostitute to a sensitive and warm person is amazingly believable."

She was soon recognized for her versatility as an actress, regarded for enacting diverse roles and distinct kinds of characters. Variety magazine described her as "The most interesting young actress of her generation." Roles like the CBI officer in Sangharsh, the teenage single mother in Kya Kehna and the prostitute turned surrogate mother in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke not only raised awareness of social issues, but were quite distinct from typical roles played by Indian actresses at that point of time, and established a new dynamic of a leading actress in Bollywood film.

In 2002, Zinta collaborated once again with director Kundan Shah, playing the main protagonist in his family-drama Dil Hai Tumhaara, co-starring alongside Rekha, Mahima Chaudhary and Arjun Rampal. The film marked an important milestone in Zinta's career. Although it failed to do well at the box office, her portrayal of Shalu, an adopted daughter craving for love, was appreciated by critics and earned her positive reviews. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM.com noted, "The film has some of the most talented names in the business and it is Preity Zinta, in an author-backed role, who steals the show with a sterling performance. Her scenes with Rekha (second half) and Alok Nath (pre-climax) are simply outstanding. Here's a performance that is sure to win accolades from the junta and critics whole-heartedly." Another film critic praised Zinta for her acting manner: "What’s particularly impressive about her is the quicksilver delicacy with which she switches from one facial expression to another." Consequently, she became sought-after by some of the best known filmmakers in the following years.

Success (2003–present)

2003 proved to be a particularly successful year for Zinta, as she was the female lead in three of the year's highest grossing films: The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, Koi... Mil Gaya and Kal Ho Naa Ho. The Hero is considered to be the most expensive Hindi film ever made, costing around Rs 550 million, yet it did not recover its high costs at the box office; Koi... Mil Gaya was the biggest hit of the year as well as Zinta's highest grossing movie up so far with a domestic nett gross of Rs 430 million; Kal Ho Naa Ho was a wide international success, earning over Rs 600 million worldwide.

In that same year, she starred in Honey Irani's directional debut, Armaan, alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor. The drama, set in a hospital deals with the trials and tribulations among its personnel and its principal Dr. Akash, who in attempting to save the hospital which his father established, is desperate of new equipment and financial resources to sustain its existence. Zinta played Akash's schizophrenic dominant wife, Sonia Kapoor, and received many positive notices for her performance, as well as several nominations for Best Villain at different award ceremonies. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM.com wrote, "Preity Zinta comes up with another superb performance, essaying her part with utmost sincerity."

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Zinta as the Indian-American Naina Catherine Kapur in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), which earned the actress her first Filmfare Best Actress Award. Pictured with Shahrukh Khan

However, her most notable film out of the above-mentioned was, Kal Ho Naa Ho, a tearjerker directed by Nikhil Advani and written by Karan Johar, co-starring along with Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan. The film was India's second biggest hit after Koi... Mil Gaya, earning Rs 350 million in its domestic box office, and over Rs 257 million overseas, making it the biggest hit of the year overseas. She played the role of Naina Catherine Kapur, an insecure and angry Indian-American girl, who falls in love with a guy who has a heart disease. Her performance was unanimously praised and won her many awards, including the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Akash Gandhi from Planet-Bollywood proclaimed, "Preity Zinta has given her best performance as an actress. It’s amazing to see how much energy and talent is given in creating her character, Naina."

In 2004 she starred as the TV journalist Romila Dutta in Farhan Akhtar's war drama Lakshya, co-starring Hrithik Roshan. Despite being the fourth highest grossing film of the year, the film failed to do well at the box office. The film was based on the historical events of the 1999 Kargil Conflict, and Zinta's character, which was modeled after renowned TV journalist Barkha Dutt, the only female reporter covering the events, won her favorable reviews. Subhash K. Jha wrote about her, "As Romila the TV journalist, Preity Zinta does a Barkha Dutt with lip-smacking credibility."

Later, Yash Chopra chose her for the lead female role of Zaara in the love legend Veer-Zaara opposite Shahrukh Khan, which was the biggest hit of that year in both India and abroad, earning over Rs 750 million worldwide. The film, which relates the love story of an Indian officer and a Pakistani woman, received a significant reception worldwide, and Zinta's portrayal of a Pakistani girl, was praised. She received her fourth nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare among others, and won her second Stardust Star of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. One critic wrote, "Preity looks good like all Yash Raj heroines and her acting is commendable. Whether she plays the carefree teenage girl or a girl madly in love, whether she is the responsible daughter or a girl torn between love and responsibilities, she is believable in every shade her character goes through." Veer-Zaara was Zinta's second highest grossing film and third major hit in two consecutive years, and marked her entry into Yash Raj Films, one of the biggest production houses in Bollywood, which all helped to consolidate her status in the industry.

In 2005 which saw her appear in two movies, her first release was the folk comedy Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen, co-starring alongside Govinda, a production which had been delayed since 2002. The film received negative reviews and poor winnings at the box office. Zinta's role was small, and thus was not well received, with one critic writing "Preity Zinta has got little scope and hence she could not make any impact."

Her next release was Siddharth Anand's comedy-drama Salaam Namaste, co-starring Saif Ali Khan. The film was another Yash Raj big budget film and went on to become the year's biggest hit overseas, with revenue of Rs 430 million internationally. It is the story of two Indians who have left their homes to make a life on their own, and later decide to live together without marriage. Zinta played the female part of Ambar, a single modern young woman who leaves India to make her own life in Australia. The film was well received by critics, and Zinta's performance earned her various nominations for Best Actress at a number of award ceremonies. Taran Adarsh wrote, "After Kya Kehna, Preity Zinta accepts the challenge of portraying an unwed mother yet again in Salaam Namaste. The actor is terrific, delivering her most accomplished performance to date. Her lip locks with Saif [Ali Khan] will catch a lot of people unaware, but that's the sign of a thorough professional."

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Zinta as a fashion magazine editor Rhea Saran in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

Zinta received further success in 2006, starring in Karan Johar's drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna along with an all star cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. It tells the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, and an extramarital affair as a result. Zinta played the role of Rhea Saran, a stylish and modern fashion magazine editor and her performance was appreciated by critics. One critic wrote "Preity not only looks gorgeous, but the dedication to her role shows at vital points. Her penultimate scene with Rani [Mukerji], when she confronts her at the marriage reception, is fabulous." and Rediff.com concluded, "Preity looks glamorous and in a couple of scenes, manages to overshadow King [Shahrukh] Khan too" The film became one of the biggest box office hits in India, earning Rs 464 million, and grossed over Rs 445 million overseas, the biggest Bollywood hit in the overseas market ever, which simultaneously became her fourth overseas top earner in four consecutive years. She then starred in Shirish Kunder's romantic musical Jaan-E-Mann, a typical Indian story of two guys in the US loving the same girl, co-starring alongside Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. The film received positive reviews from critics, yet performed poorly at the box office. Zinta played the role of Piya, the cynosure of two men. Although she had a small role and an underdeveloped character, she was generally praised for her performance. Naresh Kumar Deoshi noted, "Preity Zinta is a natural performer. She brings a wide range of emotional variety to her character. At times she is bubbly, at times sombre, at times assuring and at times inhibited and unsure."

In 2007 Zinta portrayed the character of a British Pakistani young woman, Alvira Khan, in her third Yash Raj Film, Shaad Ali's comedy Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, alongside Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta. Although much anticipated, the film was a critical and commercial failure in India. The film did better overseas, especially in the UK. She received mixed reviews from one extreme to the other; Ashok Nayak praised her, "Preity Zinta, looks bubbling and gorgeous. The chemistry between Abhishek [Bachchan] and Preity is mind blowing. She is equally competent and gives a commendable performance." On the other hand, The Times of India criticized her that "she is too plastic as the Paki-Brit girl".

Later in 2007, Zinta took on a proefessional turning point in her career. She began working more with art film directors, and turned towards a neo-realistic cinema, known in India as parallel cinema, rather than mainly working on commercial cinema. She starred in her first English film, Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, as a struggling theatre actress opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, and has been widely received as well as earning many accolades when it was showcased at a Gala Presentation. The first reviews have been positive, with one critic writing "It's great to see her doing a completely natural role. She played her role with real dignity and it was a pleasure seeing her getting back to her initial style of acting". On her first art film, Zinta said "I did think with art films that they don't pay you, they don't feed you, but I was wrong, and I'm so happy to be here". As of October 2007, she is set to star in Jahnu Barua's forthcoming film Har Pall.

Other work

Columnist

In 2004, Zinta became a columnist, and joined a line up of some of South Asia's most renowned commentators including Ahmed Rashid and Kaushik Basu, writing several columns for BBC News Online South Asia. She expressed her joy at participating in this project, saying: "I am pretty outspoken and have my own view on every subject. So it will be a good platform for me to air my views."

Her first column, The changing face of Bollywood was published in January 2004. She wrote about the progression of Bollywood and how it has evolved in the last decade. The column turned to be one of the site's top ten most widely read stories on the day, attracting an overwhelming response from all over the world.

In her second column, Odds stacked against Indian women, Zinta scathed the Eve teasing phenomenon in India, and criticised eve-teasers overall. She wrote, "Incidences like these take away a woman's dignity, her space and her freedom. Sometimes I wonder why some men behave like barbarians. And why the state is so helpless in protecting the women. Why should women feel unsafe in a country which had an internationally revered woman prime minister?" Her complaints caught a worldwide attention by readers, and thousands of E-mails were addressed to her from people across the globe. She was applauded by many women across India and abroad for her brave stand against abuse of Indian women.

Her third column, The darkness that all actors fear was a more personal column and dealt with her stardom, fans, insecurity and fears as an actor. She wrote, "I used to joke with my director of photography on sets and say 'If the world is a stage, I need better lighting'. But later I realised that when the lights go off there is only darkness around an actor and it is that darkness all actors fear. Dear God please give me the strength to find my way out of the darkness when the lights are no more on me." Her fourth and last column titled Facing death in Sri Lanka and Thailand was published in 2005. In this column, she described her two near escapes from death in late 2004.

Stage shows

Zinta is an active stage performer, frequently taking part in major stage shows and world tours. Zinta's first world tour was an international concert called Craze 2001, alongside Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Gracy Singh performed across the U.S.. At that time, shows in America were cancelled due to the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the team was willing to eager to India as soon as possible. However, the shows continued in Canada and went on to do well.

Likewise, in 2002 Zinta took part in the world tour From India With Love in the UK, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. The show was displayed in two outdoor extravaganzas at Manchester’s Old Trafford Football Stadium and London’s Hyde Park, being widely watched by over 100,000 people.

Zinta's biggest world tour was in 2004, when she joined a group of stars (Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Rampal, and Priyanka Chopra) in the Temptation 2004 concert. The show, which was showcased in over 19 countries around the world, turned to be the most prominent internationally for Bollywood concerts. In 2006, Zinta toured again, participating and performing in the successful Heat 2006 concert around the world, along with Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.

Humanitarian work

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Zinta at the Premium charity function

In 2004, Zinta travelled to Singapore for the year's International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, which was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Some of the week events included a charity football match at the Jalan Besar Stadium, which Zinta participated in. In 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, she performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

In July 2006, Zinta attended a blood donation camp organised by the Rotary Club of Delhi in association with Godfrey Philips Bravery Awards, lending her support to the cause of women empowerment and promoting the humanitarian cause of giving blood, saying:

Donating blood doesn't kill one but goes on to save somebody's life. Blood donation also creates a universal world. Once blood is donated it becomes universal and might be used by anyone in need, irrespective of community, caste or region. It binds people together.

In 2007, Zinta along with Rani Mukerji, donated her winnings from Kaun Banega Crorepati to the Shimla District Red Cross Society in Himachel Pradesh. She donated Rs 25 lakhs to the society in support of its welfare activities.

In January 2007, Zinta visited Hisar, Haryana, and spent a day at the army training base to boost the morale of the jawans, and experience the kind of life that they lead. It was conducted for a special segment on NDTV's hallmark show Jai Jawan, where entertainers and actors visit Indian troops in a diveristy of places to encourage them along with the NDTV team. In the context of the show, Zinta also met children with differing levels of ability at the Asha School, and shared a reunion with her elder brother, Deepankar, who is serving in the Army also.

In August of that year Zinta, along with Mumbai-based artist Gurcharan Singh painted for the cause of street children for the non-governmental organization Khushi. She painted a dog in flaming red and named the work as Circle of Life. She said, "I am sure this piece of art will win many little hearts and make a difference to the lives of street children. After all, we are all a part of the circle of life."

Personal life

In 2000 Zinta began dating model Marc Robinson. They separated one year later in 2001, and according to Zinta, they remained on good terms. After their break-up, Zinta said in an interview, "We aren't seeing each other anymore, but I have very, very fond memories of the times we were together and I'd like to keep it to that."

Previously, when not on the film set she would to return to her native town Shimla. However in 2006, Zinta moved into her own home in Mumbai, which she purchased in the summer of 2005. During an interview with The Times of India, Zinta confessed to not being of a very religious nature, "But I believe in good deeds, in karma, I don’t believe in going to temples. For me, religion is very personal. It’s all about having faith. And increasingly I am starting to believe that faith is what we call God. We have heard and read that all religions are equal. Now I am increasingly believing in this." Zinta also narrowly escaped death twice in late 2004. The first occurred after an explosion at a Temptation concert in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The second occured during the Indian Ocean earthquake.

During her years in the Indian film industry, Zinta has been the subject of numerous controversies and media speculations, which put her among the most controversial celebrities in Bollywood.In 2003, Zinta was a witness in the Bharat Shah case and his links to the Indian Underworld. Bharat Shah was the financer for the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2000), in which Zinta also starred. In 2000, Shah and the producer of the film, Nazim Rizvi were arrested for having connections with Chhota Shakeel, a Mumbai underworld boss. Unlike several of her colleagues, Zinta stuck by her earliest statement in the court. She informed the court that she had received threatening phone calls from the mafia, attempting to extort money from her while shooting the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, and told her that she would have to bear the consequences if she did not pay up. Zinta gave testimony to the court that she had confided in Nazim Rizvi about the threatening incident, "He told me not to worry and that everything would be alright. He gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him if I have any further problems." After that, she was given police protection and was forced to stay out of the public eye for two months. Thirteen other witnesses before her, including celebrities Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan were witnesses in the case but they soon retracted their statements. Zinta was the only witness not to have turned hostile, and her courage to testify was much appreciated by the nation. Consequently, she was declared as the special recipient of the Bravery Award given to her for her "Courageous Act" to stand against the Mumbai Underworld, as it had been described.

At receiving the award, Zinta said:

To be brave is not to be fearless. It is when you fear and you get over it, then you can be called brave. I am human. It is not that I fear nothing. But getting over a fear is a continuous process and I have been successful so far.

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Zinta with boyfriend Ness Wadia at the 51st Filmfare Awards (2006)

In February 2005, Zinta began dating the Bombay Dyeing heir, businessman Ness Wadia. and their relationship is widely reported in the media and often subject to false speculation in the press of a possible engagement. Initally there was some press coverage that Ness' mother Maureen Wadia was displeased with the relationship, but put any rumours to rest in an interview saying: "I'm delighted at my son's choice". The tabloids have often linked Zinta with many other Bollywood stars, but she has strongly denied all these rumours.

In December 2006, Ness Wadia was reported to have attacked several construction workers at her building residence in Bandra in an event where reportedly a woman was critically injured and a child was hurt. Zinta reacted angrily at hearing these rumours, declaring strongly it was not true, issuing the statement; "You have said that at 12 O'clock there has been a fight. Tell me, which place in India do you have workers working in a building at 12 O'clock at night? You all put any kind of news in print in circulation and then the onus falls on us to clarify. On what basis are you putting a news item?"

Zinta lectured the press on how they should conduct themselves, "Please do your homework before you report anything to the nation. You cannot target me and my boyfriend just because I am a film star."

She even challenged the press and offered Rs 1 million to whoever could find an injured woman. The press came up with no findings, and this rumour was considered to be false.

In March 2007, there was an alleged crisis in Preity's relationship with Wadia when actress and singer Suchitra Krishnamurthy cited Zinta as the cause of her divorce with Shekhar Kapur, alleging that Preity was having an affair with her husband. However, initially Zinta kept silent and refused to talk about the issue, waiting it to disappear for itself. When Krishnamurthy accused Zinta for the second time in an interview, Zinta was on vacation and learned of the new allegation through her business manager Tanuja Mehra.

Zinta denied all the accusations saying,

It is unfortunate that I am bearing the brunt of someone else’s paranoia. She’s clearly unstable and I wish her a speedy recovery."

She issued a statement that she had met Kapur only five times in 10 years and demanded that he step into the picture and clear her name from this controversy. In regard to Krishnamurthy, Zinta said, "Everyone who is a nobody wants to be somebody at the expense of famous people like me." Since then, this controversy has come to an end.

In the media

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Zinta at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival

According to Box Office India, Zinta has the most success among all the Bollywood actresses of her generation, having the highest success ratio of 65%. Her trademark has been her dimple and she is often cited by popular media by this characteristic. She is known for her vivacious personality and is frequently described by the press as having a bubbly outgoing persona, an image she dislikes.

She is particularly known in the Indian media for her straightforwardness and honesty expressing her outspoken views and forthright opinions in public, be it about her on-screen or off-screen life or raising a voice against any social injustice. These features were widely noticed in her controversies, especially in the Bharat Shah Case, when she testified against the underworld. After this incident, she was described by journalists as "The only man in Bollywood".

On July 15, 2005, Zinta filed a defamation case against leading Mumbai tabloid Mid-Day after tapes emerged alleging that Salman Khan had made derogatory comments about her. The tabloid published the part of the tape which concerned Zinta, indicating that Zinta had a sexual relationship with the actor. She was cross-examined as a chief witness in January 2007. , later appearing in court for the hearing which took place on March 22, 2007. Zinta said on the issue "I felt humiliated as it spoiled my reputation and character in public". She explained that she had received disparaging phone calls from imposters stating that they were Salman Khan, and that she had been repeatedly questioned in a deragatory fashion by the media regarding this issue. Zinta stated that it not only affected her personally but professionally as according to her, a planned future film with Salman Khan was abandoned. The alleged tape was tested in the Government's Forensic laboratory in Chandigarh, which concluded that it was a fake, although the case is still on-going.

In 2003, Zinta was placed number No. 1 on Rediff's Top Bollywood Female Stars. and in the following years, she was placed at No. 2 for three consecutive years (2004–06). Furthermore, she was ranked number two on Filmfare magazine's list of Top Actresses (2003–04), and number three later on (2005–06).

Zinta has been frequently featured in different lists by Rediff.com including the Bollywood's Most Beautiful Actresses, Bollywood's Best Dressed Women and Woman of Many Faces. In September 2006, she was placed No. 41 by UK magazine Eastern Eye as one of Asia's Sexiest Women. Zinta is the first Indian actress being featured on the cover of the first issue of the Marie Claire magazine to be sold in India.

Zinta has made three appearances on the Indian talk show Koffee with Karan, hosted by Karan Johar. Her first appearance was in 2004 with Saif Ali Khan, and the second appearance was in March 2005, along with Abhishek Bachchan. The episode with the latter was the highest viewed episode of season one. She made her third appearance in season two of the show with Bobby Deol and in 2006 she was a guest judge in the singing talent contest Indian Idol 2.

In 2006, she once again performed in her earlier occupation as a model, when she modeled and walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra's fashion display Fashion Week 2006, titled Freedom, along with actress Kajol. Later that year, Zinta and filmmaker Karan Johar received an invitation to represent Bollywood at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, taking the opportunity to promote Johar's then forthcoming film Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, which had Zinta in one of the leading roles.

2007 was a year of diverse media appearances for Zinta. She returned to the 60th annual Cannes Film Festival held between May 16 and May 27, 2007 to attend the premiere of My Blueberry Nights, which opened the festival. She co-hosted the 52nd Filmfare Awards ceremony, alongside Shahrukh Khan, Karan Johar and Juhi Chawla and was chosen as the first brand ambassador for GoAir, a new Airway service. The airline owner, Jeh Wadia from Wadia Group happens to be Ness Wadia's younger brother and Zinta was quick to deny any speculation that it was a family-related publicity stunt. She declared that Ness has no relation to her participation in the air liner's publicity and that: "I did it because I truly think it's a fantastic airline with really low fares" said Zinta. She was later the guest of honour in an art event called Spandan 2 which was conducted at Mumbai's famous art gallery Articulate.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Other notes
1998	Dil Se	Preeti Nair	Winner, Filmfare Best Female Debut Award Dubbed into Tamil as Uyire Dubbed into Telugu as Prema Tho
	Soldier	Preeti Singh
	Premante Idera	Jaanu	Telugu film Dubbed into Hindi as Dulhan Dilwale Ki
1999	Raja Kumarudu	Rani	Telugu film Dubbed into Hindi as Prince No. 1
	Sangharsh	CBI Officer Reet Oberoi
	Dillagi	Rani	Guest Appearance
2000	Kya Kehna	Priya Baxi	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award
	Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega	Jahnvi
	Mission Kashmir	Sufiya Parvez
2001	Farz	Kajal Singh
	Chori Chori Chupke Chupke	Madhubala (Madhu)	Nomination, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
	Dil Chahta Hai	Shalini
	Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke	Sakshi
2002	Dil Hai Tumhaara	Shalu
2003	The Hero: Love Story of a Spy	Reshma/Ruksar
	Armaan	Sonia Kapoor	Nomination, Filmfare Best Villain Award.
	Koi... Mil Gaya	Nisha	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award
	Kal Ho Naa Ho	Naina Catherine Kapur	Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award
2004	Lakshya	Romila Dutta
	Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa	Dr. Parineeta (Pari)
	Veer-Zaara	Zaara Hayat Khan	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award
2005	Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen	Priti
	Salaam Namaste	Ambar 'Amby' Malhotra	Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award
2006	Alag		Special Appearance in song Sabse Alag
	Krrish	Nisha	Special Appearance
	Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna	Rhea Saran	Nomination, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
	Jaan-E-Mann	Piya Goyal
2007	Jhoom Barabar Jhoom	Alvira Khan
	The Last Lear	Shabnam	Post-production First English language film
	Om Shanti Om	Herself	Special appearance in song Deewangi Deewangi
2008	Mera Bharat Mahaan		Releasing on January 25, 2008
	Har Pall		Filming
	Suryamukhi	Suryamukhi	Announced
	Heaven on Earth		Announced

Awards and honors

Main article: List of Preity Zinta's awards and nominations

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See also

• List of Indian movie actresses
• List of Rajputs

Further reading

• Khubchandani, Lata. 'I had this illusion that filmstars are like kings and queens'. Rediff.com, May 22, 2000. Accessed September 15, 2007.
• Pillai, Jitesh. Freedom at midnight...Preity Zinta. Indiatimes.com. April 2001. Accessed September 27, 2007.
• Verma, Sukanya. Preity purrfect!. Rediff.com, 2001. Accessed September 15, 2007.
• Zee Television. Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai. Zee TV.com, April 19, 2002. Accessed October 31, 2007.
• V. Gangadhar. Preity magic. The Tribune. July 24, 2004. Accessed October 8, 2007.
• Hahn, Lorraine. Bollywood Actress, Preity Zinta TalkAsia Interview Transcript. CNN.com, December 18, 2004. Accessed September 26, 2007.
• Nambiar, Smitha. The Dimpled Preity. January 10, 2005. Accessed September 15, 2007.

External links

• Preity Zinta at IMDb

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