Preeti Desai is a British actress, supermodel, and former

Miss Great Britain Miss Great Britain is Britain's longest running beauty contest held annually in Britain since 1945. Owner and CEO John Singh made history crowning his first winner and to this date only the first black Miss Great Britain 1996. Singer and dancer A ...

. She made history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to win the title in 2006. Desai made her acting debut with acclaimed film ''

Shor in the City ''Shor in the City'' () is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor starring Tusshar Kapoor, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Preeti Desai, Girija Oak, Radhika ...

'' (2011) and was nominated for Best Lead Actress at the South Asian Rising Star Film Awards in New York City in October 2012. Desai is listed as the ''Times of India'''s 50 Most Desirable Women and ''People'' Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2011.

Early life

Desai was born in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England to Hemlata (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Niak) and Jitendra, who have a pyrotechnics company. Both of her parents are of Gujarati descent; her father is from

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and her mother is from Uganda. Her younger sibling Anjlee Desai, is a singer and songwriter. Desai attended St Augustine's RC Primary School in

Coulby Newham Coulby Newham is an area in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, with a resident population of 10,700, measured at 8,967 (Coulby Newham Ward) at the 2011 Census. It is in the TS8 postcode. History Early Coulby Newham bega ...

, then to Nunthorpe Secondary school in

Nunthorpe Nunthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the historic county of Yorkshire, North Riding. It is near to the village of Great Ayton and formerly part of the Ayton anci ...

, and Middlesbrough College.

Career

Miss Great Britain (2006–2007)

Desai was crowned Miss Cleveland and then went on to win Miss Great Britain in 2006. As a British Indian, she was the first woman of Indian heritage to win the title. She was crowned Miss Great Britain after the previous winner was disqualified and the country voted her to take over as the winner. Desai moved to London from the North East of England to carry out her role as ambassador of Miss Great Britain. Desai supported organisations like Mind and Carers Week, which took her to 10 Downing Street to have tea with then Prime Minister

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

to highlight the work of the charities, and to the Houses of Parliament to get MPs to team up with her in support of Carers Week.

Modelling

Desai moved to Mumbai in 2008 to start her career as a fashion model. Being represented by ace photographer Atul Kasbekar, she appeared on the cover of L'officiel magazine with super star

Shahrukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

as her 1st assignment. That assignment was followed right away with her 2nd assignment: the Kingfisher Calendar 2008. Desai was also selected to be solely on the cover of the Kingfisher Calendar special edition. In the same year, Desai appeared on the October cover of ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'' magazine. Desai soon became a favourite in the Indian fashion industry and walked for many famous designers and fashion weeks and appeared on more magazine covers. In October 2009, Desai was announced as the new face of the retail apparel company Provogue along with Indian actor

Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including six ...

. Desai was also featured with Italian designer Leonardo Ferragamo of

Salvatore Ferragamo Salvatore Ferragamo (5 June 1898 – 7 August 1960) was an Italian shoe designer and the founder of luxury goods high-end retailer Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A. An innovative shoe designer, Salvatore Ferragamo established a reputation in the 1930s. ...

for ''L'Officiel'' magazine and walked for fashion designer

Christopher Kane Christopher John Kane (born 26 July 1982) is a Scottish fashion designer based in London. Biography Kane was born as the youngest of five children in Newarthill, North Lanarkshire, to an engineer and draughtsman father and housewife mother. K ...

in a Fashion Week. Desai got herself a super model status in India in a short span of two years before she started acting for her first feature film in 2011.

Film debut (2011)

Desai made her film debut in a feature film ''

'' which was released in April 2011. It is directed by Raj Nidimoru and D. K.Krishna, and is produced by

Balaji Telefilms Balaji Telefilms is an Indian company that produces Indian soap operas, reality TV, comedy, game shows, entertainment, and factual programming in several Indian languages. Balaji Telefilms is promoted by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor and is a ...

Ekta Kapoor Ekta Kapoor (born 7 June 1975) is an Indian television producer, film producer and director who works in Hindi cinema and soap opera. She is the joint managing director and creative head of Balaji Telefilms Limited, which was founded in 1994. ...

. Desai plays the role of the female protagonist Sharmili opposite Indian-American actor

Sendhil Ramamurthy Sendhil Amithab Ramamurthy (born May 17, 1974) is an American actor. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Ramamurthy is best known for his roles as geneticist Mohinder Suresh in the NBC sci-fi drama ''Heroes'', Gabriel "Gabe" Lowan in ''Beauty and t ...

. The film is a thriller drama, set in contemporary Mumbai with three separate but interrelated storylines, of which one is in English and the other two are in Hindi. The film and Desai's performance got rave reviews by critics and audience alike with an average star rating of 4, stating Desai had great screen presence. Desai was nominated for Best Lead Actress at the South Asian Rising Star Film Awards in New York in October 2012 presented by SAIFF and ''HBO''. ''Shor in the City'' was officially selected for the

Pusan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

and the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announce ...

in 2011. The film won the Best Director Award at ''MIAAC'' in New York. In 2014, Desai was seen in the lead role opposite

Abhay Deol Abhay Singh Deol (born 15 March 1976) is an Indian actor and producer who is known for his work in Hindi films alongside one Kannada and one Tamil film. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic c ...

for the feature film titled '' One by Two'' directed by

Devika Bhagat Devika Bhagat (born 25 October 1979) is an Indian screenwriter in the Hindi film industry, who has written films like ''Manorama Six Feet Under'' (2007, ''Bachna Ae Haseeno'' (2008) and ''Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'' (2011) Early life and education ...

and produced by Amit Kapoor. In 2017, Desai played the role of Jen Green in the thriller ''The Bachelor Next Door'' directed by ''Michael Feifer''. The film starred Michael Welch, Tyler Johnson, and

Haylie Duff Haylie Katherine Duff (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress, singer and songwriter, and the older sister of American singer and actress Hilary Duff. She is best known for her roles as List of 7th Heaven characters#Sandy Jameson, Sandy ...

. Her other work includes ''The Work Wife'' on ''Amazon Prime'', where she played the role of Katie, and ''Saving My Baby'' on Lifetime. In 2019, Desai shot for the comedy pilot series ''Woman Up'' written and directed by

Zoe Lister-Jones Zoe Lister-Jones (born September 1, 1982) is an American actress, and filmmaker who co-starred as Jen Collins Short in the CBS sitcom ''Life in Pieces'' from 2015 to 2019. She is also known for her roles in the television shows ''Delocated'' (20 ...

for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

and

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television, 20th Century-Fox Television, and TCF Television Productions, Inc.) is an American television production company that is a division of Disney Television Studios, part of The Walt Disney Compa ...

. The series features

Mary Elizabeth Ellis Mary Elizabeth Ellis (born May 11, 1979) is an American actress, best known for her recurring roles as The Waitress on the FX comedy ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' (2005–present), Nick's ex-girlfriend Caroline in the Fox sitcom ''New ...

and

Tawny Newsome Tawny Newsome (born February 24, 1983) is an American musician, comedian, and actress best known for playing Chelsea Leight-Leigh on ''Bajillion Dollar Propertie$'', co-starring in ''Space Force'' and the third season of ''Brockmire'', and co-h ...

as her co-stars. Desai stars in

Damien Chazelle Damien Sayre Chazelle (; born January 19, 1985) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is known for his films ''Whiplash'' (2014), ''La La Land'' (2016), and '' First Man'' (2018). For ''Whiplash'', he was nominated for the ...

's 2020 '' The Stunt Double'' produced and distributed by

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

Cinematography by ''

Linus Sandgren Linus Sandgren (born 5 December 1972) is a Swedish cinematographer, known for his collaborations with directors Damien Chazelle, David O. Russell, Gus Van Sant, and the duo of Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein. He is known for his use of unique ...

'' Composer original music by ''

Lorne Balfe Lorne Balfe (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish composer and record producer of film, television, and video game scores. A veteran of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions, Balfe is known for his composing music for big-budget films like ...

''.

Public image

Desai was listed as one of ''Time'''s 50 Most Desirable Women and ''People'' magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2011. ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'' magazine featured Desai as 'A Woman we love' and wrote "The first thing you notice about Preeti Desai are her slinky long legs, model physique and huge doe-like brown eyes. Then she opens her mouth and a strong Northern English accent burst out – a nostalgic flashback reminiscent of the old

Boddingtons Boddingtons Brewery was a regional brewery in Manchester, England, which owned pubs throughout the North West. Boddingtons was best known for Boddingtons Bitter (Boddies), a straw-golden, hoppy bitter which was one of the first beers to be ...

adverts that featured glamorous, sophisticated women but, humorously, with pronounced Manchester accents. The down-to-earth naughty humoured breath of fresh air walk's in and preambles." Top Indian designer

Anita Dongre Anita Dongre (née Sawlani) (born 3 October 1963) is an Indian fashion designer. She is the founder of House of Anita Dongre, an Indian fashion house. Early life Dongre was born in Mumbai, in the state of Maharashtra. Her mother, Pushpa Sa ...

known for never using showstoppers in her runway shows, for the first time in August 2012 asked Desai to close the show at fashion week. Questioning Dongre on why she wanted Desai to don the final piece, Anita Dongre said "I saw no one else but Preeti in my showstopper design, she makes all my designs look beautiful, and she has the right elegance, confidence and poise."

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Preeti Living people Actors from Middlesbrough English female models English film actresses British female models British film actresses English people of Gujarati descent British actresses of Indian descent English Hindus English expatriates in India Actresses in Hindi cinema British expatriate actresses in India European actresses in India European actresses in Bollywood English beauty pageant winners 21st-century English actresses 21st-century British actresses 1981 births