Date of Birth
24 November 1981, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
Birth Name
Celina Jiya Jaitley
Nickname
Chinto
Height
5' 6" (1.68 m)
Biography
Celina Jiya Jaitley was born in Simla, India on June 9, 1981 to Punjabi-speaking Indian Army Colonel V.K. Jaitley and Meeta, an Afghani Beauty Queen-cum- Psychologist, specializing in children's problems. Celina has a brother who is also in the Indian Army.
She wanted to grow up and join the army just like her dad, either as a Pilot or a Doctor. Most of her childhood was spent in different locations due to her dad being transferred in cities and towns all over India - as a result she ended up studying in over a dozen different schools. The family is now re-settled in Kolkatta.
Instead of becoming a Pilot or a Doctor, she ended up graduating in Commerce and thereafter got a job in a cell phone company.
Celina shot to fame when she won a local beauty contest, and thus encouraged, submitted her photos and profile to the organizers of the Miss India Contest; she was admitted in the competition, and went to be crowned Miss India for 2001. Thereafter she went on to represent India in the Miss Universe Contest, and ended up being the 4th runner-up, up ahead of 79 of the contestants.
She then appeared in several videos, including 'Zara Nazron Se Kehdo' by the Bombay Vikings. Her debut on the tinsel Bollywood screen commenced with Feroz Khan's Janasheen in 2003 opposite Fardeen Khan and since then she has gone on to appear in 11 more movies.
Trivia
Fourth runner up at the 2001 Miss Universe pageant.
Father is Punjabi and mother is Afghani.
Never wanted to become a model or an actress. Celina had her mind set on becoming a pilot.
Became a model in the Bollywood industry after the Miss Universe pageant.
Femina Miss India 2001
Hobbies: Surfing the net, reading, sketching and listening to music.
Her mother is a psychologist.
Her favorite actor is Aamir Khan, and favorite actress is Aishwarya Rai.
Her favorite Hollywood movie is Saving Private Ryan (1998).
Favorite holiday spot is St. Moritz in Switzerland.
Bebe and Jashn are her favorite brands. She is the brand ambassador for Jashn.
Has 5 pets: all dogs.
Speaks fluent Bengali, English, German, Punjabi, and Urdu. She says she speaks in Urdu at home.
Plays billiards and pool, sometimes she likes to go sailing.
Her qualifications are a B.Com. graduate, Honours in Accountancy.
Has one brother. He is in 3 Para Commando Special Forces.
Her favorite outfit is a sari.
Her terrace is her favorite hangout spot.
Owns 900+ pairs of shoes.
Is a vegetarian.
The first country she visited was Nepal.
Neither smokes nor drinks. She is a very health conscious person.
Loves Sweden, she used to live in Stockholm at Vallhallvagan.
Favorite cuisine is Indian and favorite dish is biryani.
Uses MAC cosmetics.
Good friends with Fardeen Khan, Riya Sen, and Shreyas Talpade.
Personal Quotes
"I'm young right now; I have a lot of time in the future to de-glam myself. Now I want to do roles of my age which are glamorous; because I have that image - I'm a glamorous woman. I wanted to be called a good and a good-looking actress."
About her cameo in Silsiilay (2005): "In Sisilay I have a special appearance; it was a strange experience because I can never imagine being a woman like the one I've portrayed. I'm in love with a married man, much older to me and who has a son her own age. It's a complex character, and I loved it."
When asked which character she would like to play in a remake: "I would like to play Meena Kumari's role in Pakeezah, Waheeda Rehmanji's role from `Chaudavi Ka Chand' and Rekha's role in `Umrao Jaan'." (erosentertainment.com interview, 2005)
"I think Fardeen and I have a special chemistry on-screen, I don't deny that. At the same time I think Hrithik and I will be great together. Our physical features will work well to create that chemistry - especially the combination of our height, the light eyes; together we'll have a good screen presence." (erosentertainment.com interview, 2005)
On turning down the lead in Julie (2004): "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." (Stardust, April 2005)
"When I intend to settle down, I'm just gonna tell my parents to find someone for me. I have lost faith in myself to make the right decision as far as a man is concerned. Sean (her ex-boyfriend) was a big lapse in judgment."
"It's scary, if you think of it. You read these stories all the time in the magazines, how someone got duped in a relationship. You think, this could never happen to me, except, it does. Until you're a part of that statistic, you never believe that this could be you."
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