8 Things you must know about Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta

Preity has also written a series of columns for BBC News Online South Asia.

Preity Zinta

Until 2009, she was the only woman to own an IPL team, and was the league's youngest owner. She has been involved with launching ticket sales and promoting the team. She said, "My involvement with the team is total. I am extremely passionate about our team and I do believe that I am the team's good luck factor, so I want to be there for everything."

Preity Zinta

In October 2010, the actress was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of East London.

Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se.. in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna in 2000. The film was a hit and established Preity's career as an actress.

Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta's first television commercial was for Perk chocolates, the result of a chance meeting with a director at a friend's birthday party in 1996. The director persuaded Preity to audition for the spot, and she was selected. Afterwards, she appeared in other catalogues and commercials, including one for the soap Liril.

Preity Zinta

In 2009, on her 34th birthday, Preity Zinta adopted 34 girls from the Mother Miracle orphanage in Rishikesh and took the responsibility of financially supporting their education, food and clothing. She expressed her excitement at doing so: "I've adopted 34 girls. I'll be looking after their entire upbringing from education to food, clothes etc. You've no idea how wonderful it feels to hear the excited chatter of all these girls together."

Preity Zinta

She narrowly escaped death twice in late 2004: first after an explosion at a Temptation concert in Colombo, Sri Lanka; and second during the Indian Ocean earthquake.

Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta's father Durganand Zinta was an officer in the Indian Army who died in a car accident, when she was only thirteen years old. She called the tragic accident and her father's death a significant turning point in her life, which forced her to mature rapidly.