Heading for Hollywood

two Indian films – Virsa in Hindi and in Telugu. She has also featured in Wess Carr’s music video and in Jessica Mauboy’s music video, Been waiting

Young, beautiful and hip, Preity Uupala looks every bit ready to take on the world, no matter what it has to offer.

A finalist in the recently concluded Miss Earth Australia pageant, she is a Sydney-based actor, model, dancer and presenter.

Robust and vivacious, the IT Honours student from Wollongong University was the only contestant of Indian descent to be part of the prestigious event that promotes awareness on environmental conservation. In fact, Preity, who is also of Portuguese descent, says she was the only Indian to have ever participated in the pageant, held last month. She was one of the national finalists among 50 contestants.

“I simply loved being a part of the event. The whole experience of being a part of something as exciting and as big as the Miss Earth Australia event, was rather overwhelming for me. I had to speak in front of 2000 people and that was a great experience,” says the 21-year-old professional actor from the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Preity, a trained Latin American dancer, had to perform a dance for the talent show at the pageant. She says dancing helps her keep fit, and she doesn’t have to watch her weight unlike most models. “Since I love dancing, it is the best regime for me,” quips the Indian from Goa.

When asked if she felt disappointed at not being crowned the winner, Preity says, “It wasn’t disappointing at all as I got a lot of exposure from the event. On the contrary, the experience was extremely rewarding as many people came up to me and said I stood out because of my looks and confidence, which was very gratifying.”

Environmentally conscious and involved in a number of charity events, the model, who has taken part in many national and international beauty contests, planted trees – a prerequisite for the Miss Earth Australia.

On the career front, Preity has also acted in a lot of short films including The Hug, The Intervention, The Evolution of Evan and even

The young ‘unique method’ actor, who has been a part of several beauty contests in Australia and abroad, was born and raised in Dubai, after which she moved to Paris for a while and finally moved to Sydney, where she has been living for the past 10 years. She even speaks five languages, including Arabic. Interestingly, she worked as an IT consultant for an investment banking company before taking up modelling. She has appeared in a number of feature and short films and is an experienced commercial model, and has worked for various fashion shows and brands for both Australian and International designers. Preity is now extending her skills to TV presenting.

So how did the talented and pretty lass take to acting in the first place?

“When I was at University, I did take part in a few shows. Then a photographer told me that I had an exotic, unique look that was good for modelling and that I had the potential to make it big in the industry. So I decided to give it a shot,” she says.

Preity says her parents have been extremely supportive in her choice of career. “My family is really very happy for me. They want me to follow my heart,” says Priety, whose father is Portuguese and mother is Indian.

Preity has now set her sights on Hollywood, where she hopes to act in English films. “I really want to be a part of global cinema. I would like to act in a James Bond movie at some time. I am in talks with Hollywood producers on upcoming projects in the US,” she says, adding that she plans to move to the US in the near future, to help further her acting career. Preity says the success of Slumdog Millionaire has opened up more opportunities for Indian actors. “The movie has generated immense interest. Suddenly everyone is embracing Bollywood and that is a positive sign,” she adds.

While Bollywood is not really her calling, she says she would never give up on a chance to work in some interesting role. “I wouldn’t chase Bollywood. But, if something interesting opens up for me, I would definitely take it up,” says the versatile actor.