The Erstwhile 'liril' girl

By: Poonam Deviah

Do you know someone who decided on her career with the toss of a coin....that's our very own Preity Zinta. The dimpled girl who first made her appearance in the 'liril,' ad is one of the leading heroines of the day in Bollywood.

Her debut film was with the noted director in Indian Cinema, Mani Ratnam in Dil Se, in 1998. Here she played supporting actress but soon took the lead in Soldier, opposite Bobby Deol. She made her mark with Kya Kehna, where she played the role of an unwed mother.

A Criminal psychology graduate, Preity, claims to be a people's person and this is the reason she says that she studied Psychology. She first auditioned for Shekar Kapur's Tara Rum Pum Pum, which apparently did not take off.

Preity's father was an army man who died in a car accident when she was barely 13. Her mother, who was with him at the time, suffered serious injuries and was bedridden for two years. Preity lived through this pain with courage.

She won the Filmfare Award for best newcomer for Dil Se (1998) and Best Debut Award for Soldier. She is known to be very choosy about her roles. In 2003, she gave good performances in The Hero and Armaan and two big hits Koi Mil Gaya and Kal Ho Na Ho.