Preetika Rao

Preetika Rao is an Indian Model, Writer and Actress. She plays Aaliya Zain Abdullah on Beintehaa.

Early Life
Rao belongs to Konkani-speaking family originally from Karnataka, but raised in Mumbai. Her father owns an advertising agency in Mumbai while her mother is a house-wife. Her elder sister, Amrita Rao, is a Bollywood actress. Rao graduated majoring in History from Sophia College, while also acquiring a diploma in advertising and journalism.

Career
While studying in Sophia College, Rao started her modeling career with an advertisement for Cadbury Dairy Milk. She filmed many commercials and did numerous photo shoots. Rao also wrote a Bollywood column with South Side movie magazine in Chennai where she contributed from Mumbai. During her time as a columnist, Rao also contributed as a film-journalist to articles for Mumbai Mirror, Bangalore Mirror, Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age Mumbai. She reviewed movies for a short time for film portal www.india-forums.com. Rao was crowned Miss Asia 2011 at the 37th International World Beauty Awards held on 22 June 2011.

Rao made her acting debut in the Tamil romantic film Chikku Bukku (2010), where she played the role of a Tamil Brahmin girl from the 1980s settled in Karaikudi who falls in love. To prepare for her role she took Tamil diction lessons from her grandmother, who was born in Tamil Nadu. She then made her debut in the Telugu film industry with Priyudu (2011), which helped her receive offers from film directors in Bollywood. In 2012, Rao quit South movies for a diploma course in screenplay writing from the New York Film Academy.

In early 2014, Rao went on to mark her Hindi television debut in Beintehaa playing the role of Aaliya Zain Abdullah.