Celina Jaitly[1] (born 24 November 1981)[2][3] is an Indian actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She mainly works in Hindi cinema. She won the title of Femina Miss India 2001 and became 4th runner-up at Miss Universe 2001.[4] She made her acting debut with the 2003 thriller Janasheen.

Celina Jaitly
Jaitly in 2014
Born (1981-11-24) 24 November 1981 (age 42)
Alma materIndira Gandhi National Open University
Occupation(s)Actress, Model
Spouse
Peter Haag
(m. 2011)
Children4 (1 deceased)
Beauty pageant titleholder
TitleFemina Miss India 2001
Years active2001–2020
Major
competition(s)
Femina Miss India 2001
(Winner)
Miss Universe 2001
(4th Runner-up)

Early life

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Celina Jaitly was born in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India[5][6][7] to a Punjabi Hindu father, Colonel V. K. Jaitly and a third-generation Afghan Hindu mother, Meeta who was a nurse in the Indian Army.[5][8][9][10]

She wanted to grow up and join the army just like her father, either as a pilot or a doctor.[11] Most of her childhood was spent in different locations due to her father being transferred in cities and towns all over India – as a result she ended up studying in over a dozen different schools.[11] She attended City Montessori School, Station Road, Lucknow and Canossa Convent School, Ranikhet[12] while her family was in respective cities. She graduated with a degree in Commerce with Accountancy (Hons.) from IGNOU (Khallikote College study centre) while her stay in Brahmapur, Odisha.[13] Her mother taught in the DePaul School there. After graduation, Jaitly worked in a cell phone company in Kolkata, West Bengal briefly as a marketing executive. The family is now settled in Mhow.[14]

Career

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2001–04: Debut and setback

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Jaitly started her career with a marketing job in a mobile phone company in Kolkata before she decided to participate in a local beauty contest.[citation needed] She won the title at Femina Miss India 2001.[4] She also won the Miss Margo Beautiful Skin, Indiatimes Surfer's Choice, and MTV's Most Wanted award.[citation needed] She was subsequently sent to the Miss Universe 2001 contest representing India where she finished 4th runner-up.[13]

In 2001, she featured in Jazzy B's music video of "Oh Kehri", which was immensely popular.[15] She also featured in music videos for Bombay Vikings.[16]

In 2003, she made her film debut in Feroz Khan's Janasheen.[17] The movie was a moderate box office success in India.[18] For her second release, she had a starring role opposite Sunny Deol in the romantic action Khel, but the feature was poorly received and earned little at the box office.[19]

In 2004, Jaitly turned down the lead role in Julie. In an interview with Stardust, Jaitly commented: "I turned down Julie because I didn't agree with the reasoning of the protagonist in the story, who resorts to prostitution because her man ditches her. I didn't see why any educated girl would take such a drastic step. I take up roles that I mentally agree with, and this was not such a role".[citation needed] The same years Celina appeared in the Telugu drama Suryam opposite Vishnu Manchu.

2005–08: Professional expansion

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By 2005, under the direction of Khalid Mohamed, Jaitly played the role of Preeti, an air hostess, in Silsiilay. The movie was well received by critics.[20] Rediff.com reported that "Celina Jaitly sizzles in the song Belibaas". She next portrayed the character of Sanjana in No Entry, the film was received favourably by critics and became successful at the box office with gross earnings of 840.9 million (US$10 million).[21]

The following year, Jaitly co-starred in Deepak Tijori's comedy Tom, Dick, and Harry. The film became successful at the box office with gross earnings of 250.7 million (US$3.0 million).[22] She next appeared in Apna Sapna Money Money, directed by Sangeeth. It received mixed reviews, though it became a financial success, with a domestic total of 390.4 million (US$4.7 million).[23][24] In 2006, Jaitly appeared in the music video for the Indian hit song "Zara Nazron Se Kehdo" performed by Bombay Vikings with Swedish music producers Soundism behind the studio work.[25]

In 2007, Jaitly starred in Red: The Dark Side, directed by Vikram Bhatt, alongside Aftab Shivdasani. Her final release of 2007 was Suneel Darshan's comedy Shakalaka Boom Boom, with Bobby Deol, Upen Patel and Kangana Ranaut. Upon release it did moderately well at the box office but was critically panned.[26]

In 2008, she took a supporting role in Golmaal Returns. It received mixed reviews, though it became a financial success, with a domestic total of 660.9 million (US$7.9 million).[27] Jaitly's performance was applauded, with critic Taran Adarsh writing: "Celina stays on your mind even after the show is over".[28]

Recent works (2009–present)

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During 2009 and 2010, all three films in which she starred; Paying Guests, Accident on Hill Road and Hello Darling, were critically and commercially unsuccessful.[29]

In 2011, Jaitly had two leading roles. Her first was Anees Bazmee's Thank You, a romantic comedy. The film was poorly received by critics but became a commercial success, earning over 950.6 million (US$11 million).[30] [31] She next appeared in Shrimathi, a Kannada film directed by Ravi Kumar. It proved a commercial success.[32]

There were reports in 2011 that Jaitly was slated to play a Persian princess in the film Quest of Scheherezade with actors Sean Connery and Orlando Bloom, and directed by Ken Khan.[33] This has yet to be confirmed.

Personal life

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Celina at LA1-crop

Celina Jaitly is married to Austrian entrepreneur and hotelier Peter Haag. They became parents to twin boys born in March 2012.[34] Jaitly gave birth to a second set of twin boys in 2017, in which one boy died due to a heart defect.[35]

Jaitly is currently based between Austria, Singapore, and Dubai and travels for her film and endorsement work internationally.

Endorsements

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Sepang Circuit Malaysia 2002, Ayur (ayurvedic hair shampoos) 2002–2004, Ponds (Dreamflower talc) 2001–2004, Margo (skin soap) 2001–2003, Gitanjali (Diamond jewels) 2003–present, Jashn (Leading Indian apparels) 2006–present, Proactv (International skin solutions) 2008–present, RICHFEEL (trichology clinics) 2012–present, 18 Again (women's intimate care) 2012–present, PETA 2005–present, United Nations Equality Champions 2013–present.

Filmography

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Films

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2003 Janasheen Jessica Pereira
Khel – No Ordinary Game Saanjh Batra
2004 Suryam Madhulatha "Madhu" Telugu-language film
2005 Silsiilay Preeti
No Entry Sanjana Saxena [36]
2006 Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride Roma Fernandes
Zinda Nisha Roy
Tom, Dick, and Harry Celina
Apna Sapna Money Money Sania Badnaam
2007 Red: The Dark Side Anahita Saxena
Shakalaka Boom Boom Sheena
Heyy Babyy Herself Special appearance in song "Heyy Babyy"
2008 C Kkompany Special appearance in song "Speaker Baje"
Money Hai Toh Honey Hai Shruti Badola
Golmaal Returns Meera Iyer [37]
2009 Paying Guests Kalpana Singh
Accident on Hill Road Sonam Chopra
2010 Hello Darling Candy D'Souza
2011 Thank You Maya Mathur
Shrimathi Sonia Roy Kannada film
2012 Will You Marry Me? Vaishali Kapoor Special appearance [38]
2020 Season's Greetings Romita Short film [39][40]

References

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  1. ^ Webonautics. "Celina Jaitly (Actress) – Official website – celinajaitlyofficial.com". celinajaitlyofficial.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  2. ^ "I am unlucky in love: Celina". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 November 2008. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  3. ^ Gavin Rasquinha, Reagan (19 November 2006). "On your guard". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Miss Universe Pageant Palace – Where the Miss Universe Really Reigns!". missuniversepageantpalace.50megs.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b Jaitly, Celina [@CelinaJaitly] (4 November 2009). "x I was not born in kabul .. i was born in shimla .. mum is afghan though .. 3 rd gen indian-afghan :)" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "At 32, Celina Jaitley is on top of the world". NDTV. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  7. ^ Khan, Mohd Salman (8 November 2012). "Film production's tougher than acting: Celina Jaitley". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  8. ^ "'Accident...' will show another side of me: Celina". The Indian Express. 26 December 2009. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  9. ^ "Celina Jaitely: My first love was a closet gay!". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 8 August 2009.
  10. ^ "India in vogue, Vogue in India". The Telegraph (India). 9 September 2007. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  11. ^ a b Vajir Singh and Hiren Kotwani (14 August 2008). "Bollywood beauties chant I-Day mantra". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  12. ^ "About". Celinajaitlyofficial.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Celina Jaitley". The Times of India. 10 December 2002. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  14. ^ "Celina Jaitly's father passes away due to prolonged illness". News Nation English. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  15. ^ Bhandari, Geetika Sasan (15 September 2001). "How ice hockey made Jaswinder into Jazzy". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  16. ^ "Celina Jaitly". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
  17. ^ "The whole world knows members: Celina Jaitley". Sify.com. Indo-Asian News Service. 14 July 2008. Archived from the original on 18 July 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
  18. ^ "Janasheen - Starring Fardeen Khan, Celina Jaitley, Feroz Khan. Janasheen's box office, news, reviews, video, pictures, and music soundtrack". Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  19. ^ "The game that never began". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  20. ^ "Silsiilay: Women's lib, anyone?". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  21. ^ "No Entry – Starring Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Esha Deol, Lara Dutta, Celina Jaitley. No Entry's box office, news, reviews, video, pictures, and music soundtrack". ibosnetwork.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  22. ^ "Tom Dick and Harry – Starring Dino Morea, Jimmy Shergill, Anuj Sawhney, Celina Jaitley, Kim Sharma, Avtar Gill, Rakesh Bedi, Shakti Kapoor, Gulshan Grover. Tom Dick and Harry's box office, news, reviews, video, pictures, and music soundtrack". ibosnetwork.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Ritesh rescues Apna Sapna Money Money". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  24. ^ "Apna Sapna Money Money – Starring Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Ritesh Deshmukh, Riya Sen, Celina Jaitley, Koena Mitra, Chunky Pandey, Rajpal Yadav, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Payal Rohatgi, Bobby Darling, Sunil Pal, Avtar Gill, Vrajesh Hirjee, Sanjay Mishra, Vijay Patkar. Apna Sapna Money Money's box office, news, reviews, video, pictures, and music soundtrack". ibosnetwork.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Bombay Vikings 'Zara Nazron Se Kehdo' is Number 3 on India Chart". soundism.com. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  26. ^ "Shakalaka Boom Boom – Starring Bobby Deol, Upen Patel, Celina Jaitley, Kangna Ranaut, Asrani, Anupam Kher, Dilip Tahil, Seema Rahmani, Govind Namdeo, Vivek Vaswani, Panchali Gupta, Nikhil Patil. Shakalaka Boom Boom's box office, news, reviews, video, pictures, and music soundtrack". ibosnetwork.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  27. ^ "Golmaal Returns – Starring Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Kareena Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Anjana Sukhani, Amrita Arora, Celina Jaitley. Golmaal Returns's box office, news, reviews, video, pictures, and music soundtrack". ibosnetwork.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  28. ^ Bollywood Hungama (29 October 2008). "Golmaal Returns". bollywoodhungama.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  29. ^ "Box-Office Report: Paying Guests doesn't payback. Hopes shifted to New York". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  30. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. ^ "Thank You Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  32. ^ "Review: SRIMATHI – Sandalwood News & Gossips". Bharatstudent. Archived from the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  33. ^ "Celina Jaitly and Sean Connery, Will They Team Up". Pamil-visions.net. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  34. ^ "Celina to tie the knot in Egypt". The Times of India. 9 January 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  35. ^ "Celina Jaitly welcomes her second set of twins but the announcement is "bittersweet"". The Indian Express. 1 October 2017. Archived from the original on 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  36. ^ "No Entry is no remake of Masti". Bollywood Hungama. 6 October 2004. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  37. ^ "Celina Jaitley goes de-glam". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  38. ^ "Bollywood's Celina Jaitly reveals battle with depression". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  39. ^ "Season's Greetings becomes India's first feature film to collaborate with UN". 8 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  40. ^ Karki, Tripti (14 April 2020). "Celina Jaitly on Season's Greetings: My mother's last wish was to see me back in films". indiatvnews.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss Universe 4th Runner Up
2001
Succeeded by
Preceded by Miss India Universe
2001
Succeeded by