Mumbai: Around 22 years ago, Shah Rukh Khan was struggling in Hindi cinema with a few flop films at the box office. In 1998, director Mani Ratman was looking for a new face for his film Dil Se.
He had already signed Shah Rukh and Manisha Koirala for the lead role, but for the supporting role he was searching for a new face who could bind the audience. After careful consideration, Mani Ratnam signed Preity Zinta for the project.
The film did not do so well at the box office but Preity’s role was appreciated by fans.
In the same year, the actress bagged a lead role in Soldier with Bobby Deol. It was a hit and the role garnered her a Filmfare Best Debut Actress Award. Within just two years, Preity became one of the most expensive actresses in the Hindi film industry.
Preity ruled the big screen by giving films like Kya Kehna, Kal Ho Na Ho, Koi Mil Gaya, Veer Zara, Salaam Namaste and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna. She received the Best Actress Award at the Chicago International Film Festival for the Canadian film Heaven on Earth. But after that Preity suddenly vanished from films and returned years later in 2013 with Ishq in Paris.
Preity has been embroiled in a fair number of controversies over the years as well. Like the award show fiasco in 2016 when she caused a major blunder.
Preity was on the stage and she was given a chance to present an award. She was supposed to call Sonakshi Sinha but Preity, unaware of her mistake, greeted ‘junior shotgun’ as Sonam Kapoor. Both Sonakshi and Sonam were quite embarrassed by this. Later, Sonakshi made Preity realize the mistake.
Preity was last seen on screen in the film Bhaiyyaji Superhit in 2018. She is also the owner of Indian Premier League team Kings XI Punjab. In 2016, Preity married her boyfriend Gene Goodenough in Los Angeles. Goodenough is Senior Vice-President for Finance at NLine Energy, a US-based hydroelectric power company.
PNN