Bollywood actor Preity Zinta, known for her performances in films like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Veer Zaara , will be conferred a doctorate by a leading U.K. university.
Zinta, who has the unique distinction of addressing the Oxford Union on Wednesday, will receive the doctorate from the University of East London at a function on Friday.
Later in the evening, the star will attend the Loomba Foundation Diwali dinner at the Guild Hall where the deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Lord Navnit Dholakia, deputy leader of the Lib Dem at the House of Lords will also be present.
A versatile actor, Zinta has acted in over 30 films in Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi and English.
The 35-year-old star made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year. These performances earned her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna (2000).
Zinta received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award in 2003 for her performance in the drama Kal Ho Naa Ho. She went on to play the lead female role in two consecutive annual top-grossing films: the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya and cross border romance Veer-Zaara , which earned her critical acclaim.
Her first international film role was in the Canadian film Heaven on Earth , for which she was awarded the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.
