Preity Zinta

Biography
Preity Zinta is an actress. She has appeared in Hindi cinemas of Bollywood, as well as Telugu and English language movies. A criminal psychology graduate, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998, followed by Soldier in the same year. She won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for both films, and was later recognised for her performance as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna. She would subsequently display her range, taking on a number of roles as characters of a diverse nature, and in doing so, has been credited with bringing a change in the image ...( show more

) of Hindi film heroine. Zinta received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in the drama Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2003, which became India's top-grossing film in the overseas market that year. She played the lead female role in two consecutive annual top-grossing films in India: the science fiction Koi... Mil Gaya, her biggest commercial success to date, and the cross-border romance Veer-Zaara, which earned her critical acclaim. She was later noted for her portrayal of independent, modern women in Salaam Namaste and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, overseas top grossers. Zinta thus has established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema. In addition to acting, Zinta is a columnist, having written columns for BBC News Online South Asia, and a regular stage performer. She is known in the media for publicly speaking her mind and openly expressing her opinions, occasionally surrounding herself with controversy. These controversies include most notably her being the only witness not to retract in court her earlier statements against the underworld during the Bharat Shah case, for which she won the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award.

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 Army. Durganand died when Zinta was thirteen in a car accident; the accident also involved her mother, Nilprabha, who was severely injured and remained bedridden for two years. According to Zinta, her father's early death was one of her most terrible experiences and a turning point in her life, as it forced her to grow up. Zinta has two brothers, Deepankar and Manish, a year older and a year younger, respectively. Deepankar is a commissioned officer in the Army, while Manish is settled in Los Angeles. Zinta, a self-confessed tomboy in the early stages of her life, was influenced primarily by her father. As a child groomed in an army household, she grew up with values such as discipline and punctuality. She studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary boarding school in Shimla. Although she confesses to loneliness in the boarding school, she would later say that it was compensated by her having "...perfect set of friends" there. As a student, she developed a love for literature, particularly William Shakespeare and poetry, and even tried writing poetry herself. According to Zinta, whilst she liked studies and received good grades in school, she enjoyed spending time outside, and was interested in sports, particularly basketball. Upon graduating from the boarding school at age 18, Zinta enrolled at St Bede's College in Shimla. She initially majored in English honours, but later pursued an advanced programme in psychology. She earned a degree in criminal psychology, but later took up modelling. Zinta's first commercial for Perk chocolates was the result of a chance meeting with a commercial director at a friend's birthday party in 1996. The director persuaded Zinta to attend the audition for the commercial, and she was selected. Afterwards, she appeared in other catalogs and commercials, such as that of Liril.

In 1997, Zinta met film-maker Shekhar Kapur when she accompanied a friend to an audition and was asked to audition herself. Upon seeing her audition, Kapur insisted that she become an actress. She was originally scheduled to make her screen debut in Kapur's Tara Rum Pum Pum opposite Hrithik Roshan, but the filming was cancelled; Kapur later recommended her for director Mani Ratnam's Dil Se. Zinta started shooting for Kundan Shah's Kya Kehna, the release of which was delayed until 2000. The delay of another film, Soldier, meant that her first release was Dil Se (1998) opposite Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Introducing Zinta as Preeti Nair, a middle class Delhi girl and Khan's fiancee, the film was considered to be an unusual launch for a newcomer, as her role called for twenty minutes of screen time. However, she was eventually noticed for her role, particularly for the forthright character she played. Her scene with Khan, which had her asking him, "Are you a virgin?", became well known and her portrayal earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination. She next played her first leading role in the action drama Soldier, which was one of the biggest hits of the year. Zinta won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her performance in both Dil Se and Soldier. Zinta next acted in two Telugu films, Premante Idera (1998) opposite Venkatesh, and Raja Kumarudu (1999) opposite Mahesh Babu. She followed with the leading role in the thriller Sangharsh, alongside Akshay Kumar. The film, based on the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs, was directed by Tanuja Chandra and written by Mahesh Bhatt. Zinta portrayed the character of Reet Oberoi, a CBI officer who falls in love with a captured killer, played by Kumar. The film was not a box office success, although Zinta's performance was appreciated by critics.

Zinta used to visit her native town Shimla when not busy in shooting. In 2006, Zinta moved into her own home in Mumbai. Zinta identifies herself as not being of a particularly religious nature. In an interview with The Times of India, she commented, "...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...We have heard and read that all religions are equal. Now I am increasingly believing in this." Zinta narrowly escaped death twice in late 2004. The first occurred after an explosion at a Temptation concert in Colombo, Sri Lanka; the second occurred during the Ocean earthquake. Zinta has been the subject of several controversies. In 2003, as a witness in the Bharat Shah case, Zinta testified against the Underworld. Bharat Shah, the financer of the Zinta-starrer Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, was arrested in 2000 for having connections with Chhota Shakeel, a Mumbai underworld boss. Unlike several of her colleagues, Zinta repeated in court her earlier statement that she had received extortion threats from the mafia during the shooting of the film. After her testimony, she was given witness 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 retracted their earlier statements. Zinta was the only witness not to have turned hostile to the prosecution; her courage to testify was appreciated by the nation. Consequently, she was the first recipient of Godfrey's Mind of Steel Award at the annual Red and White Bravery Awards, given to her for the "Courageous Act" of standing against the Mumbai Underworld. On 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". Since 2006, Zinta has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Godfrey Phillips Bravery awards. The tabloids have often linked Zinta romantically with other Bollywood stars, but she has strongly denied these rumours. In 2000, Zinta began dating model Marc Robinson. They separated one year later, and according to Zinta, remained on good terms. Asked in Filmfare about their break-up, Zinta proclaimed that she cherished "...very, very fond memories of the times we were together and I'd like to keep it to that." Zinta has been dating the Bombay Dyeing heir, businessman Ness Wadia since February 2005. Their relationship is frequently reported on in the media, and is often subject to press speculation of a possible engagement. In December 2006, another controversy featured Zinta when Ness Wadia was reported to have attacked construction workers at Zinta's residence in Bandra; reportedly, a woman was critically injured and a child was hurt in the incident. Zinta reacted angrily at hearing these rumours reported in the national news; she confronted the journalists and criticised their conduct. She challenged the press to come up with proof, and offered Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million) if an injured woman were found. The press found nothing and the rumour has subsequently been regarded as false. In March 2007, Zinta was involved in a scandal when actress and singer Suchitra Krishnamurthy cited Zinta as the cause of her divorce with Shekhar Kapur, alleging that Zinta was having an affair with him. Although initially silent on this issue, on further accusation by Krishnamurthy, Zinta retorted, "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." Zinta issued a statement that she had met Kapur only five times in 10 years and publicly demanded that he step forward and clear her of the accusation. Thereafter, the controversy came to an end.