Preeti Desai (born 29 September 1981) is an English film and television actress, and former fashion model. 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 on September 29, 1981 in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

, in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England to Jitendra and Hemlata Desai (

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

Niak), who own a pyrotechnics company. Both of her parents are Indians from

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

, and are of Gujarati descent; her father is from

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

and her mother is from

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. Her younger sibling, Anjlee Desai, is a singer and songwriter. Desai attended St Augustine's RC Primary School in Coulby Newham, then to Nunthorpe Secondary school in

Nunthorpe Nunthorpe is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Borough of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England. It is part of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Yorkshire, North Riding. It is near to the villa ...

, and

Middlesbrough College Middlesbrough College, located on one campus at Middlehaven, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, is the largest college on Teesside. Admissions It provides predominantly further education, but also selected higher education provision, and ...

Middlehaven Middlehaven is the oldest part of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It is directly south of the River Tees, and north of the current town centre, separated from it by the railway and A66. The area has had waves of regeneration since pos ...

Career

Film & Television

Following the advice of

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

, Desai enrolled in

Anupam Kher Anupam Kher (born 7 March 1955) is an Indian actor, director and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has acted in more than 540 films. A veteran of Indian cinema, Kher is recipient of two Na ...

's drama school in 2008. Desai made her acting debut with acclaimed film '' Shor in the City'' (2011) and was nominated for Best Lead Actress at the South Asian Rising Star Film Awards in New York City in October 2012. Released in April 2011. Directed by Raj Nidimoru and D. K.Krishna, produced by

Balaji Telefilms Balaji Telefilms is an Indian company that produces Indian soap operas in several Indian languages. Balaji Telefilms also owns Alt Balaji, the platform known for producing adult rated content. Balaji Telefilms also produces reality TV, comedy ...

Ekta Kapoor Ekta Kapoor (born 7 June 1975) is an Indian television and film producer, known for her work in Hindi television and Bollywood cinema. She is the founder of Balaji Telefilms, Balaji Telefilms Limited, where she serves as joint managing directo ...

. 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. He is best known for his roles as geneticist Mohinder Suresh in the NBC sci-fi drama '' Heroes'' (2006–2010), Jai Wilcox in ''Covert Affairs'' (2010–2012), Gabriel "Gabe" ...

. 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; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held from ...

and the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ) was the largest film festival in the Arab world, Arab region. With particular emphasis on showcasing Arab cinema, Arab, Asian cinema, Asian, and African cinema, it also helped to develop industry a ...

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 Deol (born 15 March 1976) is an Indian actor who is known for his work in Hindi films. Born in the Deol family, he made his on-screen debut in 2005 with Imtiaz Ali's romantic comedy '' Socha Na Tha''. Deol was praised for his performance ...

for the feature film titled '' One by Two'' directed by Devika Bhagat and produced by Amit Kapoor. After moving to Los Angeles, USA in 2015. Desai played the role of Jen Green in the 2017 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 and singer. She is best known for her roles as Sandy Jameson in the television series '' 7th Heaven'', Amy Sanders in ''Lizzie McGuire'' and Summer Wheatly in ''Napoleon Dyn ...

. Her other work with director “Michael Feifer” includes ''The Work Wife'' on ''Amazon Prime'', where she played the role of Katie, and ''Saving My Baby'' 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. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

and

20th Century Fox Television 20th Television, Inc. (formerly known as TCF Television Productions, Inc., 20th Century-Fox Television and 20th Century Fox Television) is the television studio arm of 20th Century Studios, owned by Disney Television Studios, a division of the Di ...

. The series features

Mary Elizabeth Ellis Mary Elizabeth Ellis (born May 11, 1979) is an American actress. She is 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 sitco ...

and Tawny Newsome as her co-stars. Desai stars in

Damien Chazelle Damien Sayre Chazelle (; born January 19, 1985) is an American filmmaker. He directed the psychological drama ''Whiplash (2014 film), Whiplash'' (2014), the musical romance ''La La Land'' (2016), the biographical drama ''First Man (film), First ...

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

Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

Cinematography by '' Linus Sandgren'' Composer original music by ''

Lorne Balfe Lorne Balfe (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish composer of film, television and video game scores. A veteran of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions, Balfe's scoring credits include the films '' Megamind'', ''Penguins of Madagascar'', ...

''. Desai then went on to star in a leading role of Green Goddess in the 2022 Netflix Original series “The Guardians of Justice” Desai most recently played the role of Charlie Bristow, a former British Special Air Service. Charlie Bristow is a recurring character in Seasons 5 and 6 of “The Rookie” for

lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of the American production company Lionsgate Studios. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. In June 1998, it ...

Other Work

Desai continues to work with brands such as De'longhi and appears in a principal role in a campaign directed by

opposite

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

. Other brand campaigns include,

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota, Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked amon ...

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

Keurig Keurig () is a beverage brewing system for home and commercial use. The North American company Keurig Dr Pepper manufactures the machines. The main Keurig products are K-Cup pods, which are single-serve coffee containers; other beverage pods; an ...

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

Fashion Model

Desai moved to Mumbai in 2008. Represented by ace photographer

Atul Kasbekar Atul Kasbekar (born 22 April 1965) is an Indian fashion photographer, recognised for his Kingfisher Calendar shoots. He owns Bling! Entertainment Solutions and Corporate Image, and is a Bollywood film producer through partnership in Ellipsis E ...

at one of the leading Indian agencies Bling. she appeared on the cover of L'officiel magazine with super star

as her 1st assignment. That assignment was followed with: 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: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

'' magazine. for the 10 year anniversary special with a 3 magazine special featuring

Priyanka Chopra Jonas Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is India's highest-paid actress and has received List of awards and nominations received by Priyanka Chopra, nume ...

and

Deepika Padukone Deepika Padukone (; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Hindi films. She is India's highest-paid actress, as of 2023, and List of awards and nominations received by Deepika Padukone, her accolades include thre ...

on the other 2 covers. Desai soon became a favourite in the Indian fashion industry and walked for many famous and high end designers at fashion weeks and graced the covers of many more magazines. Ranked in the top 50 of the Times 50 Most Desirable Women of 2011 and People Magazine’s most beautiful people., closed the show as a showstopper for designer Anita Dongre at Lakme Fashion Week in 2012, and featured in commercials for LG, Honda, Cadbury, Citibank and Nokia. 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 cinema. 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 si ...

. Desai has 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 1930 ...

for ''L'Officiel'' magazine and walked for fashion designer Christopher Kane in Fashion Week.

Miss Great Britain and Philanthropy

Miss Great Britain (2006)

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 stripped of her title due to allegations of her involvement with one of the judges and her agreement to pose for Playboy magazine. The people of Great Britain through the Sun newspaper voted Desai 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 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. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...

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.

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 gentleman ...

'' 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 public house, pubs throughout the North West England, North West. Boddingtons was best known for Boddingtons Bitter (Boddies), a straw-golden, hops, hoppy bitter (b ...

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 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."

Awards and Nominations

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'' for her role in her debut film ''Shor in the City'

Filmography

References

External links

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