Preeti Jhangiani, born on August 18, 1980, started off her career in the showbiz in the 90s with the famous music video 'Chui Mui Si Tum' opposite South Indian actor Abbas. This paved her way to sign movies during the year 1999 - one each in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. (All pics/Preeti Jhangiani's Instagram account)

After starring in Mazhavillu (Malayalam film), Hello (Tamil film), Thammudu (Telugu film) in 1999, Preeti Jhangiani got her big Bollywood break with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan starrer Mohabbatein in 2000.

Preeti went on to star in films like Awara Paagal Deewana, Aan: Men at Work, LOC Kargil, Baaz: A Bird in Danger, Annarth, Ssukh, Chehraa, Chaahat Ek Nasha, With Love Tumhara, Jaane Hoga Kya, Chand Ke Paar Chalo. However, the actress couldn't really make a mark for herself in the industry.

On the personal front, Preeti Jhangiani was first engaged to Mushtaq Khan, filmmaker Firoz Nadiadwala's brother. However, the couple called off their marriage owing to issues best known to them.

In 2008, Preeti Jhangiani married actor-director Parvin Dabas. The couple were blessed with their first child, a son Jaiveer in 2011 and second child Dev in 2016.

Preeti Jhangiani took a break from acting thereon. Talking about balancing work life and home, she had once told mid-day in an interview, 'Parvin has also always been supportive of my work. Without his support, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. He's never set any boundaries for me. Even when we were dating, we both were working, so there are no hang-ups like that in my life.'

Being a mother of two, who is raring to go in showbiz, Preeti had said it is easy for her to work compared to other mothers as she has strong family support. Though the actress stayed away from the Bollywood industry, Preeti had been doing ads, shows and regional films.

Preeti Jhangiani recently said, 'I do wish to appear in more Bollywood films now. I have a lot of support from my family. There are people to look after my children - Jaiveer and Dev in my absence. In fact, my mother and sister live in the same building. It's much easier for me to work in comparison to other mothers.'

Preeti, who also worked during her pregnancies, further added, 'Now, I am looking forward to doing more work that will have good scripts. In terms of Bollywood films, you can call this my second innings in the industry since I am coming after such a long time. But calling it a second inning will make me feel as if my first one was done and dusted.'

Preeti has done movies in eight languages like Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Rajasthani and Hindi.

Preeti Jhangiani is a complete family person in real life. The actress has time and again spoken about her personal life and how she has prioritised her family.

In an old interview with mid-day, Preeti was quoted saying, "I always wanted a baby, so the question of cold feet never arose. And I was too busy to really feel scared about motherhood. I kept reading parenting books and doing things around the house. But I guess no amount of preparation is ever enough."

Marriage never stopped Preeti to pursue her dreams though. She said, 'I don't think the audience really cares if the actress is married or not. It's the producers who have a mind block against casting actresses who are married or those who have kids. I mean, even I would like to see Lara Dutta or Kajol back in films. Look at Malaika Arora. The audience has accepted her even in sensuous songs. It depends on how well you have maintained yourself and how the filmmaker presents you.'

Like every other woman, Preeti Jhangiani too had gained a lot of extra weight post-pregnancy. However, the actress, being fitness conscious made sure to workout and gain a fit body.

'I have lost all the weight I had put on during my pregnancy. I had put on 24 kilos during my pregnancy and I'm not even a big eater. It was just water retention and it took me a long time to shed all that extra weight after delivery. Every person's body reacts differently when they are expecting,' she said.

Preeti Jhangiani is totally loving her motherhood. 'The best part of having a kid is the feeling of holding in your hands a life that looks so much like you. But the not-so-good part is the loss of freedom. There's a lot more responsibility, so you're not a free bird anymore,' said Preeti.

Handling work life and personal life is what the couple has been balancing really well. Preeti says, 'Parvin and I make it a point to divide work and he does his share of it. I will always have time for my child, no matter what. We plan to do fun things together as a family - travelling is one of them.'

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to Preeti Jhangiani!