Preity G Zinta is an Indian entrepreneur and former actress primarily known for her work in Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English honours and criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se.. in 1998, followed by a role in Soldier in the same year. These performances earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna (2000). She subsequently established a career as a leading actress of Hindi cinema with a variety of character types. Her roles, often deemed culturally defiant, along with her unconventional screen persona have been credited with contributing to a change in the concept of Indian film heroines, and won her several accolades.

Family

Preity Zinta was born in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh-based Rajput family. Preity Zinta’s father  Durganand Zinta, was an Indian Army officer. When she was thirteen, he was killed in a vehicle accident; her mother, Nilprabha, was also hurt and spent two years confined to a bed. Preity Zinta referred to the tragic accident and her father's passing as a major turning point in her life that compelled her to mature quickly.  She has two brothers, Deepankar and Manish, each one year older and younger than her. Manish lives in California, while Deepankar is a commissioned officer in the Indian Army. She sees herself as having been a tomboy as a child.

In a secret ceremony in Los Angeles on February 29, 2016, Zinta wed her American partner Gene Goodenough. Goodenough is the senior vice president of finance for hydroelectric power company NLine Energy in the US. Following her marriage, Zinta relocated to Los Angeles, however, she still makes frequent trips back to India. She and her husband adopted twins, a boy, and a girl, via surrogacy in 2021.

Education

She went to Shimla's Convent of Jesus and Mary Boarding School to study. According to Zinta, she enjoyed her studies, had good grades, and played sports in her spare time, particularly basketball. In Shimla, Zinta enrolled at St. Bede's College.

After receiving a degree in English with honors, she enrolled in a psychology doctoral program. She completed a doctoral program in criminal psychology before switching to modeling. In 1996, Zinta met a director by chance during a friend's birthday celebration, which resulted in her first television ad for Perk chocolates. 

Marriage

Preity Zinta had cited a few of Ness Wadia's friends as witnesses while she was arguing the case against him. Gene Goodenough, according to several reports, was a close friend of Ness who made the decision to support Preity at that tough time. After falling in love multiple times, Preity and Gene soon decided to take their romance public. The media continued to report about Preity's upcoming wedding to the man she had described as a happy space with a happy gentleman from LA, despite the fact that the couple had kept their wedding arrangements and location a secret.

Preity and Gene wed in a secret ceremony in Los Angeles on February 29, 2016. Only their relatives and close friends, such as Sussanne Khan and Surily Goel, showed up for the ceremony. Preity had been married for two years when she finally made the decision to amend her name to Preity G Zinta and add her husband Gene's initials.

Preity Zinta shared the best news of her life on November 18, 2021. Preity Goodenough shared a photo of herself and her husband, Gene Goodenough, in which she disclosed that the couple had been blessed with twins, a son and a daughter, whose names are Jai and Gia.

Movies and Career
 

Preity Zinta’s First Movie: Dil Se (1998)

It is a 1998 Indian romantic thriller movie in the Hindi language that was written, directed, and produced by Mani Ratnam, Ram Gopal Varma, and Shekhar Kapur. The movie, which is based on the Assamese insurgency, stars Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Preity Zinta in supporting roles. Six million copies of the A. R. Rahman-composed soundtrack record for the movie were sold in India.

The Era New Horizons Film Festival and the Helsinki International Film Festival both exhibited Dil Se. The movie, which was well-known for its nonlinear storytelling elements, had a mediocre domestic box office performance; however, it was a huge success abroad, grossing $975,000 in the United States and £537,930 in the United Kingdom. It was the first Indian movie to reach the top 10 in the United Kingdom box office charts, and it was also a success in Japan.

Dil Se.. was nominated in 10 categories at the 44th Filmfare Awards, including Best Actress (Koirala) and Best Supporting Actress (Zinta), and took home six of them, including Best Female Debut (Zinta) and Best Music Director (Rahman). The movie took home two prizes at the 46th National Film Awards for best cinematography and best audiography, and it also won a Netpac Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Movie: Soldier (1998)

Bobby Deol, Preity Zinta, and Raakhee Gulzar star in the 1998 Indian action thriller Soldier, which was directed by Abbas-Mustan. Preity Zinta had previously appeared in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se, which was ultimately released before Soldier and served as Zinta's cinematic debut. The first movie in Abbas-Mustan's career that wasn't a remake or adaptation from a Hollywood source was Soldier.

Shyam Goel, the screenwriter of the movie, claims that it was based on an actual incident in Punjab where a woman's forehead was brandished with the message that her husband was a traitor. She was expelled from her town after her army husband was charged with betraying his country. The narrative was previously adapted as a 1989 Tamil film with the working title Thaai Naadu, starring Sathyaraj in two roles. The movie Soldier, which debuted on November 20 and was hailed as a superhit by Box Office India, surpassed Kuch Kuch Hota Hai to earn the second-highest box office total in India for 1998.

The soldier was nominated for 5 prizes at the 44th Filmfare Awards, including Best Director (Abbas-Mustan) and Best Supporting Actress (Raakhee), and took home 2 of them, including Best Female Debut (Zinta, also for Dil Se..). The movie was adapted in Tamil as Villu by Prabhu Deva, starring Vijay and Nayanthara in lead roles in 2009, and in Dhallywood as Jamin Nai by Syed Harun, starring Shabnur, Shakti Kapoor, and Mizu Ahmed in lead roles in 2000.

 Movie: Raja Kumarudu (1999)

It is a 1999 Telugu-language romantic comedy film produced by C. Aswini Dutt and K. Raghavendra Rao under the Vyjayanthi Movies label. With music by Mani Sharma, it features Mahesh Babu and Preity Zinta, as well as a special appearance by Krishna, who plays Mahesh Babu's father. Mahesh Babu's debut as a hero, Raja Kumarudu, was well-received critically and financially. Two Nandi Awards were given to the movie.

Raj Kumar (Mahesh Babu) visits his uncle Dhananjay while on vacation at Khandala (Prakash Raj). He meets Rani (Preity Zinta) and develops feelings for her. But in the end, he teases her, and she starts to hate him. Despite her best efforts to stay away from him, he won't let her alone. Rani is thrilled when Raj Kumar protects her from bullies. She starts to like him and then falls in love with him after spending some time together.However, his uncle has other ideas for him. He divulges information about the hero's parents and family's past. He talks about the wager he made with his future in-laws to wed his daughter to the hero. The hero advises the heroine that their relationship must end there in compliance with this. Going to the village with his uncle to look for his uncle's daughter, he is delighted to discover that it is none other than Rani.

Movie: Kya Kehna (2000)

It had a $660,000 (Rs. 5.3 crores) budget, was directed by Kundan Shah, and debuted on May 19, 2000. Preity Zinta plays a single teenage mother in the lead role of Kya Kehna, a film that tackles the taboo topic of pre-marital pregnancy and how society views it. Saif Ali Khan, Chandrachur Singh, Farida Jalal, and Anupam Kher play supporting roles. This is the first movie Zinta and Khan have appeared in together. Unexpectedly successful, Kya Kehna made 21.8 crores (US$2.7 million) worldwide. Irani won the Best Story award at the Filmfare Awards, and Zinta was nominated for Best Actress.

Kya Kehna was originally scheduled for release in 1998, however, production began in 1997. In truth, Zinta had already started filming what was meant to be her debut movie, but it was delayed until 2000 for unspecified reasons. As a result, several of Zinta's movies—including two of her Telugu ones and especially Dil Se. (1998), which turned out to be her first movie—were released before this one. Critics gave it favorable reviews when it first came out on the big screen. Irani's story writing and Zinta's acting were praised. Rajesh Roshan was the composer of the music. Unexpectedly successful, Kya Kehna made 21.8 crores (US$2.7 million) worldwide. At the 46th Filmfare Awards, Zinta and Singh were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, while Irani won the award for Best Story.

Movie: Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (2000)

Rumi Jaffrey wrote the script, which was directed by Raj Kanwar, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, and edited by Sanjay Verma. Lead roles are played by Salman Khan, Preity Zinta, and Rani Mukerji. one of the highest-grossing movies of the year with a 965.5 million global take. In the UK, the movie peaked at number 10.

With a worldwide gross of 965.5 million, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega was one of the year's highest-grossing movies and the third straight hit for Khan and Nadiadwala's partnership following Jeet (1996) and Judwaa (1997). In the UK, the movie peaked at number 10. Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega was nominated for two Filmfare Awards: Best Female Playback Singer and Best Supporting Actress (Mukerji) (Preeti and Pinky for Piya Piya).

 Movie: Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001)

Screenplay and plot credits go to Javed Siddiqui and Neeraj Vora, respectively, for the romantic drama film directed by Abbas-Mustan. The movie's music is created by Anu Malik, while Sameer wrote the lyrics. It stars Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Preity Zinta. describing a married couple's use of a young prostitute as a surrogate mother.

One of the highest-grossing movies of 2001 in India, the movie was released in March 2001 to a large audience and quickly became a commercial success. Zinta received favorable reviews for her portrayal of a prostitute-turned-surrogate mother. Zinta won the film's lone nomination for the 47th Filmfare Awards in the Best Supporting Actress category. In Indian popular culture, the movie is frequently linked to surrogacy.

 Movie: Koi Mil Gaya (2003)

An Indian science fiction movie with the working title Koi Mil Gaya was developed and directed by Rakesh Roshan in 2003. Rekha plays a supporting role alongside Hrithik Roshan and Preity Zinta in the film. In this movie, a young man (Hrithik Roshan) with developmental disabilities meets an alien and learns what happens afterward. Nisha, a young woman whom Roshan befriends and subsequently falls in love with, was portrayed by Zinta. For the part in which she was nominated for Best Actress at Filmfare, The Times of India praised her performance as new and inspiring. The movie was a commercial and critical success, earning Zinta her highest domestic-grossing film and becoming the most-watched movie of the year.

Koi... Mil Gaya, the first installment of the Krish franchise, was released on August 8, 2003, with a budget of between 250 million (US$3.1 million) and 350 million (US$4.4 million). It targeted kids and parents and used the slogan You Are Not Alone... to promote itself. With a global take of 823.3 million (US$10 million), it was the second-highest-grossing Indian movie of the year. The majority of the positive reviews for the movie focused on the cast's performances. Krrish and Krrish 3 are two sequels that were published in 2006 and 2013, respectively. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of a fourth installment, which had been planned for release in December 2020 and had been announced in 2016.

 Movie: Kal ho Na Ho (2003)

It is a 2003 Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film that was produced by Yash Johar, directed by Nikhil Advani, and written by Karan Johar with dialogue by Niranjan Iyengar. With Sushma Seth, Reema Lagoo, Lillete Dubey, and Delnaaz Paul playing supporting parts, the movie stars Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Preity Zinta. In Kal Ho Naa Ho, Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan) falls in love with Naina Catherine Kapur (Zinta) but is unable to confess his feelings to her. This leads to a scheme to match Naina up with her closest friend, Rohit Patel (Saif Ali Khan).

From January through October 2003, Toronto, New York City, and Mumbai were the locations for the main photography. Positive reviews greeted the soundtrack's release on September 27, 2003; in particular, "Pretty Woman," "It's The Time To Disco," and "Kuch To Hua Hai" were warmly welcomed. Through innuendo and homosocial bonding, the film examines non-resident Indians, inter-caste marriage, and homosexuality. In 2004, it was honored with two National Film Awards, eight Filmfare Awards, thirteen International Indian Film Academy Awards, six Producers Guild Film Awards, three Screen Awards, and two Zee Cine Awards.

Movie: Veer Zara (2004)

Yash Chopra, who co-produced the movie with his son Aditya Chopra, was the director. Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta play the title characters, the star-crossed lovers: Zaara Hayaat Khan (Zinta) is the daughter of a Pakistani politician, and Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) is an officer in the Indian Air Force. Young Pakistani lawyer Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji) defends Veer, who is detained on baseless allegations. Chopra wanted to return to the movies after a seven-year absence, but he wasn't happy with the scripts he was given.

Chopra was intrigued by Aditya's narration of a few scenes from a narrative he had written, so he agreed to direct it. Yeh Kahaan Aa Gaye Hum was the working title of Chopra's film, which he meant to be a tribute to Punjab. During the Diwali celebration on November 12, 2004, Veer-Zaara was released. Veer-Zaara became the highest-grossing Indian movie of the year in both Indian and foreign markets after earning over $976.4 million worldwide.

Movie: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

Hindi-language musical love drama film produced by his mother, Hiroo Yash Johar, under the Dharma Productions label. written and directed by Karan Johar. Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherji, Preity Zinta, and Kirron Kher are among the movie's stars. The film became one of the biggest box offices hits in India, earning $635 million.

It was also a huge commercial success elsewhere, particularly in the United States. At the time of its release, it was the highest-grossing Indian film ever internationally. The movie received over 1,200 screenings in cinemas throughout the world, earning $1.13 billion ($37 million) overall. The Tokyo International Film Festival showed it.

Movie: Ishq in Paris (2013)

Preity Zinta, Rhehan Malliek, and Isabelle Adjani are the stars of Prem Raj's romantic comedy, which is also produced by Zinta and co-written by Raj. The movie was originally scheduled for release on September 21, 2012, but it was repeatedly delayed before finally opening on May 24, 2013, simultaneously in India, the UK, and the US.

At enormous expense, the majority of the movie was filmed in Europe. Several sequences were filmed in Prague, although the majority of the movie was filmed in France (mostly in Paris and Lyon). A few shots were also filmed in India.

Other work

Throughout her career in the film industry, Zinta has been active in several philanthropic organizations and has given special attention to causes that benefit Indian women, such as the protests against female infanticide. She has also taken part in projects to clean up Mumbai and raise awareness of AIDS. Zinta performed at the Help!

The Telethon Concert in 2005, which raised money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, featured other Bollywood celebrities. In 2007, as part of the NDTV program Jai Jawan, Zinta traveled to Hisar, Haryana, where she met children with disabilities at a special school run by the army and spent a day at the army training base boosting the morale of the Jawan warriors. A company that promotes the welfare of widows and their children, The Loomba Trust, named Zinta as its brand ambassador in January 2010. She claimed that because she lost her father when she was 13 years old, she could relate to the issues experienced by widowed women.

In 2008, Zinta gained ownership rights for the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket franchise headquartered in Mohali, together with Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman, and others (IPL). The company bought the franchise for $76 million, renaming it Kings XI Punjab (it was renamed Punjab Kings in 2021).  Zinta was the IPL's youngest owner and the only woman to hold an ownership position up to 2009. She has contributed to the start of ticket sales and the promotion of the squad.