Portal:Hindi cinema/Selected biography/1

Preity Zinta (born 31 January 1975) is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi- , Telugu-, Punjabi- and English-language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se.. in 1998, followed by a role in Soldier the same year. These performances earned her a 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 played a variety of character types; her film roles, along with her screen persona, contributed to a change in the concept of a Hindi film heroine. Zinta received a Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 2003 for her performance in the drama Kal Ho Naa Ho. She went on to play the lead female role in two consecutive annual top-grossing films in India: the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya (2003), her biggest commercial success, and the star-crossed romance Veer-Zaara (2004), which earned her critical acclaim. Her first international film role was in the Canadian film Heaven on Earth, for which she was awarded the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.