Tinsel villa’s “pretty woman”, Preity Zinta was awarded honorary doctorate of arts on Friday by the University of East London (UEL) for her immense contribution to cinema and her dedication towards humanitarian work.

This glamorous lassie, who few years back bought a team in IPL, has acted in more than 30 films in Bollywood, and has also featured in Telugu, Punjabi and English language films.

On receiving the doctorate, elated Preity said, “I am extremely humbled and excited at the nomination as it really makes me feel that my work has been worthy.

“I may not have managed to become a doctor in my younger years but that dream is now being fulfilled.”

The first to hit the runway was Priety Zinta, know for her dimpled smile and western look. Dressed in a red knee-length dress, she represented 1920s and with her elegance and glamour quotient, she did full justice.

She is making a special appearance in a song in his directorial debut “Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna”, but filmmaker Prem R. Soni says it will be “derogatory to call Preity Zinta an item girl”.

“I have nothing against item girls or item songs. After all, they have time and again managed to spice up the proceedings in so many films. However, in the context of ‘Main Aurr Mrs Khanna’, it would be really derogatory to call Preity Zinta an item girl,” Soni told IANS.

The actress features in the song, “Happening”.

The 34-year-old director always wanted Preity in his first film even though he got a dream pair in Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor.

“While I had signed other actors for the film, I always wanted Preity to be a part of it. Actually, I didn’t even think about any other options and was dead sure that Preity had to be cast. I told her the same and was adamant that she had to be in it,” said Soni.

Preeti plays Haseen Jagmagiya in the film and, thankfully for Soni, she said ‘yes’ without much ado.

“Of course, she did have her initial reservations since she hadn’t played a part like this before. But then she also said, ‘What the heck, let me do it’. She laughed and agreed to be there.

“Believe me, my day was made. I had got all the actors whom I wanted for the film and was raring to bring the film on the floors,” he said.

Being a celebrity is not as rosy as you look from the outset. You have to pay a huge prize for name and fame. Bollywood actress Preity Zinta is one of the victims. She has been in the news for all the wrong reasons ever since crack appeared on her long-time relationship with Ness Wadia. Now, she has been linked with her captain Yuvraj Singh.

It looks like the hugs after every match did the trick. Yuvraj used to be the first person to receive warm hugs from Preity, every time Kings XI Punjab won a match in the last leg of the Indian Premiere League (IPL). Yuvraj deserved them first being the captain of the team but their chemistry off the field has caught the eyes of the rumormongers. It may be recalled that Preity and Ness, who co-own the Kings XI, never appeared together in the last IPL.

Adding more fuel to the fire, Yuvraj has bought a rooftop apartment in Mumbai, which is just a hug away from Preity Zinta’s home. They are said to have grown closer after Preity announced her split with her long-time boyfriend Ness Wadia. Yuvraj too has experienced his share of heartbreaks with his relationships not working out the way he wanted. He was earlier linked to Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone.

Preity and Yuvraj look good together. As both of them are single now, nobody can stop them from mingling. Give them space!

After a month around trip to Europe, London and America, actress Preity Zinta returns back to Mumbai. With her comeback to the city, the girl known for her straight from heart talk spoke about her break up with Ness Wadia.

Over the tour to US and Europe she spent time with family and friends. “How nice to know that I was missed. I feel good when people ask where I have been. No, I hadn’t gone for good. I basically follow my heart. If I want to do something, I go for it, no matter what the repercussions. I had been traveling to America, London and Europe for a little less than a month,” said Preity.

She spent good time with brother and his daughter in LA as well as with best friend, Shagun Khanna and her daughter in London. Later two weeks in Europe. Preity found a company of Mumbai girls like Malaika Arora, Surily Goel, Gauri Khan and Seema Khan in London and moved on to Paris with Surily.

Rumors are that she planned such a big trip just to heal her broken heart. On that note she replied with a smile, “I needed a break and I took one. Of course, I’ve gone through a break-up, but that’s personal. The only reason I speak to the press about what’s happening in my life is because I’m linked with the wrong men. Now, I want to work so hard that people discuss my professional life rather than my personal life. You can invite people to your home but you don’t take them to your bedroom. I’ve to preserve a certain part of me away from the limelight.”

Over her break up with Ness Wadia she said, “But then that’s life. It’s filled with unpredictable twists and turns. I have come out of the relationship smiling. Every experience in life helps you grow. You preserve the positive and move on. There’s no point dissecting it. Everything is so temporary. Even a Michael Jackson dies,” she said.

Giving attention to the kind of indignity given to MJ even after his death, she said, “That is really heartbreaking. He was a one-in-a-billion entertainer. Why go looking for skeletons in his closet when he’s gone? Why not celebrate his genius and enjoy his music? If this can happen to Michael then who are we? He gave so much of himself to his art. Finally, what did he get?”

No matter her heart is broken, she has acquired the required peace in it. “Either they’re writing about my broken heart or calling me a home breaker. I don’t care. I’ve to live with my conscience. I’ve to look myself in the eye in the mirror. I need my space. For those who want to know how I am, I am fine,” added Preity Zinta.

But now what about her association with IPL? “I’ll only be there for the matches as opposed to being constantly involved with the IPL activities. The first two years, I gave all of myself to IPL. I’m on the verge of signing two new films with very big banners. But before that, Main Aur Mrs Khanna with Salman will be out. Though I’ve a cameo in the film, it is an interesting role,” said Preity.

Her mother has come to Mumbai to stay with her and the actress loves spending time with her. “There’s no place like home, especially with mom in it,” she adds.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Ask Preity Zinta, who chose an ideal outlet for the stress built-up over work and emotional trauma. She chose to spend time by herself on a 20-day trip to LA and New York.

A source said, "Preity has been stressed out for a while now. Ever since the IPL began, she has been on her toes. Though she is the owner of Kings XI Punjab, she chose to don the role of an active team member at the beck and call of her team members. As a result, she would wake up much earlier than everyone did and go to sleep only after her team members hit the sack. Her enthusiasm cost her health and very soon she was down with a sore throat and fever.

To add to her woes, her break-up with Ness Wadia, her long-time industrialist boyfriend, started doing the rounds at the same time. Already stressed because of her broken relationship, Preity was slowly getting bogged down by the media attention. She was waiting for the right opportunity to get away from the spotlight. Once the IPL was over, she came to Mumbai to complete some paper work and meet her mother. She eventually flew off for a 20-day vacation to LA and New York on Wednesday night."

Confident that her impromptu holiday plans would nurse her wounds and her exhausted mind, Preity is also looking forward to letting her hair down. The source added, "She’s a mature person who doesn’t want to lie low and appear like a heartbroken lover. Preity wants to enjoy life and has already planned activities like catching up on movies and attending rock concerts. This well-deserved break is also a golden opportunity for her to catch up with old friends in LA and New York, whom she hasn’t met for years."

The dimpled actress was so kicked about her holiday plans that she even backed out of performing at an awards function.

Though Preity was unavailable for comment, her spokesperson confirmed the news. She said, "Yes, Preity has taken off on a holiday to LA and New York for 20 days. She’s been working hard and needed a break very badly."

No, it’s not a new role she is going to play in her next film. But In real life Preity Zinta turned out as a marriage maker as she was the one behind to bring together actress Eesha Koppikhar and her boyfriend Timmy Narang. The couple is soon going to wed.

It’s time on the sets of Har Pal, where Preity and Eesha became good friends. At the time Preity thought that Eesha and Timmy is a perfect match. Eesha confesses that it was Preity who played an instrumental role for getting them together.

To do this Preity told some good things about Timmy to Eesha and vice verse, but never disclosed his name.

“She tried to make us meet several times, but it never worked out,” said Koppikhar.

Eesha later added, “But once, Timmy and I casually met at a party and hit it off immediately. We started dating, without quite knowing that Preity was actually trying to get the two of us together! When I met Preity again, I found out that the ‘guy’ she used to talk to me about was Timmy!”

Uh! Quite a filmy story, isn’t it?

Rani Mukerji and Preity Zinta are getting old and feeling it very much. Unlike smart cookie Ash who’s still getting the best of films, these two have restricted themselves to different roles( of course because of a lack of offers).

It’s worse for ‘once upon a time queen of hearts’ Rani Mukerji who made the major mistake of confining herself to the ‘Yash Raj camp’and has hardly any good role to talk about. Except of course about her dear Adi’s films!

She’s losing endorsements to younger actresses left, right and centre and so is Preity.

Their loss has turned out to be somebody else’s gain.

After the success of ‘Jaane Tu …Ya Jaane Na’ Genelia D’ Souza has found her feet back in Bollywood.

Genelia had moved to South when she failed to make a mark in Bollywood with her first film ‘Tujhe Meri Kasam’ with rumoured boyfriend  Riteish Deshmukh. ‘Masti’ did nothing for her either.

But now things have changed. Apart from big offers, movies with John Abraham and good filmmakers, she has become a hot favorite in the ad world as well.

The cute and petite ‘Aditi’ has ad makers fighting it out for her. She’s endorsing products that our ‘A-league’ Bollywood actresses once used to endorse. This includes Rani and Preity.

Genelia is now the face of brands like Vatika hair oil and Fair and Lovely. After replacing Rani in the Fanta commercial, Genelia has now replaced Bollywood’s bubbly Zinta in the Cadbury Perk commercial.

Genie baby is clearly a young face and is great in-demand. Rani and Preity and the ilk have a lot to worry about

Preity Zinta

has gone for the conditional adoption of 34 orphans from the Mother Miracle school in Rishikesh.

Reluctant to speak Preity Zinta says, “It’s true. I’ve adopted these 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 those girls together as they welcome you into their lives. Believe you me, it’s the best birthday song I’ve ever heard.”

Preity doesn’t intend to be a sleeper parent for the girls at the Mother Miracle. “No way! Those are my children now, my responsibility. I’ll be constantly connected with them and I’ll visit them in Rishikesh twice a year.”

Far from finishing off her responsibility after financing these girl children, Preity plans to progressively enhance her social responsibilities.

“For a while now I’ve been thnking of what to do to help the less privileged classes specially the girl child. The horrors of foeticide and rampant child abuse are not just screaming news headlines for me. They’re voices that scream from inside me.

And I had to listen to them. These 34 girls are just a beginning. I plan to adopt a couple more every year during my birthday. I can’t think of a better gift to myself.”

Actress Preity Zinta is well known for her style of speaking her mind. Recently she displayed the same style when she was addressing press for promotion of her upcoming film.

It was a question asked to Ravi Chopra that what made him invest in Deepa Mehta’s film when her last film Water didn’t do well at the box office. On that question Preity quickly took the mike and said that the question was an “extreme rude” one. She later questioned back at the press that “Are you presuming that the upcoming movie will not do well in
India?”

There are rumours that director Deepa Mehta is also not happy with Preity’s talks. Well don’t know whether the film will do like Water or not, but it must have same topic of difference in sensibilities between Indians and the vedeshis.