During her younger days, she was often called Pritam Singh by friends and dear ones for her tomboyish manners. Born in Shimla, she comes from a non-film background. She lost her father Durganand Zinta who was in the Indian Army while her mother Nilprabha suffered severe injuries in a fatal accident. A graduate in English from St. Bede's College in Shimla, Preity Zinta spent her early years at the Jesus and Mary boarding school in Shimla. Post which she further pursued a degree in Criminal Psychology. She got her first break in Shekhar Kapoor's Tara Rum Pum Pum with Hrithik Roshan which was later called off. Thereafter, she bagged a role in Mani Rathnam's 'Dil Se'. Soon success followed, she won the Filmfare Best Debut Award. She is the only Actress to have been awarded the Fresh Face award twice. She was also awarded the title for Asia's sexiest woman.
She has played all kinds of roles from a cracked up villain in Armaan, to a TV reporter in Lakshya, to a wannabe actress in The Last Lear. Above all, the film that made its mark and gave her the much need launch pad was Preity's 2000 release 'Kya Kehna'. The film not only identified her as 'critically acclaimed actress' but also gave her name, fame where her character and performance as a teenage girl to an unmarried woman bearing a child was spectacular! An extrovert by nature, she is friends with almost all top Bollywood actors Aishwarya, Abhishek, Hrithik and Suzzane, Shahrukh and Gauri, and Salman Khan.
Preity Zinta was awarded the Godfrey's Mind of Steel Award and the Red & White Bravery Award for testifying against the underworld who threatened her during the Bharat Shah Case. She was one of the few witnesses who stood by her ground.
Today, Preity Zinta is the youngest and the only woman to own a franchise of the Mohali based Twenty20 Cricket team of the Indian Premier League.
This week's episodes of Superstars Superlives features all about Preity Zinta, right from her childhood to her personal and professional relationship. Not only known for her bold streak but also for her individuality, Preity is actively involved in various social causes like AIDS awareness and clean up drives in Mumbai. She is known as the Lady who has stood up for all the right causes. To find out more on Bollywood's bubbly girl Preity Zinta, tune in to Superstars Superlives from Jan 26 Monday to Jan 27 Friday, 8.30pm only on ZoOm.
