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Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta

Hers is the dimpled face that's taken the world of celluloid by storm. However, the girl with an unusual name, Preity Zinta, is hardly unaccustomed to being rich and famous. The Delhiite who hails from a defence background, had already made her mark as a model while still in school.

Gradually, she moved up the glamour scale with landmark campaigns such as the Liril soap ad in the mid-'90s. This, along with her mischievous expressions and twinkling eyes in the Cadbury's Perk ad brought her to Shekhar Kapur's notice. The famed director was then looking for fresh faces to launch his film 'Tara Rum Pum Pum'.

Preity signed on the dotted line, but the film never took off. However, her name was already doing the industry rounds and she bagged a couple of films in quick time _ including 'Soldier' (1998) opposite Bobby Deol, and of course, a coveted role in Mani Ratnam's 'Dil Se..' (1998) alongside Shah Rukh Khan.

Luckily for Preity, 'Dil Se..' was her first release. The film bombed at the box-office, but Preity's dazzling smile and pleasant disposition in a small but significant role left behind a decidedly happy impression.

With 'Dil Se..' Preity had already proved she could act. 'Soldier' (1998) and 'Sangharsh' (1999) have merely reiterated this fact. In the former she played an impish, spoilt rich girl with great conviction. In the latter she was equally at ease executing the part of a gritty young CBI trainee in search of a dreaded killer.

No wonder then, that she is one of Bollywood's most sought-after actresses today and has some of the meatiest roles on the market in her kitty. Now, she's ready to steal the show with Kundan Shah's 'Kya Kehna' and also has 'Tere Ishq Mein Padgaya Re', a comic romance with Govinda to follow. What's more, there are at least half-a-dozen other Preity ventures in various stages of production. Way to go!