Preity Zinta made her debut in the film industry in 1998 in the movie Dil Se, directed by Mani Ratnam. She starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan in her first film, playing the character Preity Nair. This film was later released in Tamil as ‘Uyire’, making Preity well known to the Indian audience. Preity Zinta is an actress with fans all over India.
Born in a Hindu Vishwakarma family in Himachal, Preity’s father, Durganand Zinta, was an army officer who died in a car accident when she was 13 years old. She completed her schooling at Jesus Mary Boarding School in Shimla, where she developed a strong interest in literature. Preity also completed her college education in Shimla and pursued higher education in psychology, eventually earning a postgraduate degree in criminal psychology.
Preity Zinta later turned to modelling, entering Hindi cinema at a time when actresses like Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukerji, and Priyanka Chopra were dominating Bollywood. Her career grew rapidly, and she acted with many leading heroes before reducing her acting roles at the age of 32.
In 2016, Preity Zinta married her long-time friend Gene Goodenough from the United States in Los Angeles at the age of 41. After marriage, she reduced her acting in films, appearing only in special roles. Additionally, she is the co-owner of the IPL Punjab Kings cricket team. Five years into her marriage, Preity Zinta and Gene Goodenough had twins via surrogacy at the age of 46. The children were named Jai Zinta Goodenough and Kia Zinta Goodenough. However, the actress had already become a mother to 34 children before her marriage.
In 2009, on her 34th birthday, Preity adopted 34 girls from the Mother Miracle Orphanage in Rishikesh. She was deeply affected by the harsh realities faced by girls from low-income backgrounds, including stories of female foeticide and harmful environments, prompting her to take this decision. Preity mentioned that this is just the beginning and she hopes to adopt more children in the future.
Preity personally bears the education expenses of the children she has adopted, including food, clothing, and other necessities. She stated that her concern for the lives of girls motivated her to adopt so many children.
