Preetika Rao

Preetika Rao (born 29 May 1992) is an Indian actress, model and film-columnist who primarily works in Hindi television and advertisement films. She made her acting debut with the Tamil film Chikku Bukku in (2010). Rao is best known for portraying Aaliya Zain Abdullah in her television debut Beintehaa (2013–14) for which she received several accolades including Gold Awards for Best Debut-Female.

Early life
Rao was born in Mangalore, Karnataka. She comes from a Konkani - speaking Hindu family. She graduated majoring in history from Sophia College, while also acquiring a diploma in Advertising and Journalism. She wrote for Bangalore Mirror, Deccan Chronicle and the Asian Age. Her elder sister, Amrita Rao is a Bollywood actress.

After her acting debut, she moved to the United States for her diploma course in Broadcast Journalism from the New York Film Academy, New York.

(2010–2014)
She made her acting and film debut with the Tamil film Chikku Bukku (2010) where she played the lead as Meenal "Ammu" alongside Arya. She then made her Telugu debut with the role of Madhu Latha in Priyudu (2012) opposite Varun Sandesh.

Rao made the transition from regional cinema in 2013 and made her television debut with Beintehaa opposite Harshad Arora. She portrayed Aaliya Ghulam Haider/Aaliya Zain Abdullah and received various awards for her performance including Gold Awards Best Debut- Female.

(2015–2018)
In 2015, Rao made her singing debut with the single "Na Tum Humein Jano". The same year she made her Kannada debut with the role of Preetika in Rebel alongside Aditya. In 2016, she appeared as a Contestant in Box Cricket League. Rao made her comeback to television with Love Ka Hai Intezaar in 2017. She portrayed Mohini Mathur Ranawat/Mohini Ayaan Mehta opposite Mohit Sehgal. She then appeared as Priya alongside Yunus Khan in the short film Metro Mulaqat. The same year she released her second single "Yaad Kiya Dil Ne" with Siddharth Basrur.

In 2018, She played Mahima "Mahi" Malhotra in Laal Ishq alongside Priyank Sharma and Niti Taylor in the episode "Gudiya". She has also appeared in the music videos 'Surilee' with Shaan (2017) 'Tere Vede' (2018) and 'Tenu Bhul Na Pavagi' (2018).

(2019–present)
Preetika Rao launched her Youtube channel in June 2022 which is running successfully and has marked her career as a content creator and producer on YouTube.

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Rao was felicitated in Dar Es Salaam at the Sinema Zetu International Festival for her immense popularity in Tanzania due to her show Beintehaa. In 2014, she ranked 6th in Rediff's Top 10 Television Actresses List.