What ever happened to...Preity Zinta?

Preity Zinta is still a household name in the Bollywood world, but I think the fact that we haven't seen her in a leading role since 2007 makes her fair game for this series. As I was doing my research, I was a bit surprised to see that Preity has appeared in less than 35 Bollywood films (including guest appearances and cameos), which seems to be a relatively low number considering her celebrity status. Kareena Kapoor, by comparison, has appeared in over 40 titles, and is still going strong. This attests to the impact Preity has had, even through such few films. She has made a name for herself as one of the boldest, most versatile mainstream Bollywood actresses through her impressive and often daring performances.

PZ debuted in small role alongside SRK in Dil Se (1998). She had only about 20 minutes of screen time but still managed to make her mark with the somewhat shocking scene when she asks Shahrukh, "Are you a virgin?" The boldness of her characters didn't stop there. As I mentioned before, Preity is (was?) one of the few mainstream actresses to successfully break barriers in some groundbreaking roles.

She played an unwed mother in two movies: Kya Kehna (2000) and Salaam-Namaste (2005). She tackled the issue of surrogate childbirth by playing a prostitute in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001) and played a vampish schizophrenic in Armaan (2003). Preity managed to break the stereotype of the doe-eyed Bollywood heroine with her frequent portrayals of modern, independent women. She played an ambitious TV journalist in Lakshya (2004) and a prosperous fashion magazine editor in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). Preity did have her share of gushy romantic leads though, and she excelled at those as well, in movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) and Veer-Zaara (2004).

Clearly, PZ is a true chameleon in terms of her acting repertoire. Her last leading role was in the 2007 flick Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (which I thought was a complete dud), but she did have a role in the critically acclaimed Heroes (2008). The last time we really caught a glimpse of PZ in action was in her item song "Happenin" in Main Aur Mrs. Khanna (2009).

Where is Preity Zinta nowadays? Ironically, despite the number of times she's played a mother on screen, she is currently unmarried (she broke up with long time beau Ness Wadia in 2009) and doesn't have kids. Like some other Bollywood stars, she owns an IPL cricket team Kings XI Punjab. She recently also hosted the TV show "Guinness World Records- Ab India Todega" on Colors TV.

As for Bollywood, there's a bit of good news! PZ has reportedly signed on a forthcoming film Jai Ramji alongside Irrfan Khan and Arjun Rampal where she is supposed to play a con-woman. It is unclear how large her role will be or if this really does mark a comeback film, but I sure hope so! Preity is such a groundbreaking and talented artist, that I'm honestly dying to see her make a return to the silver screen.

Wanna know more about PZ's personal life? Follow her here on Twitter!

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