Actresses fade. Superstars pivot to politics or production. But occupies a unique space in popular media —she is the nostalgia drug for the millennials and a "discovery" for Gen Z. Her content is clean, empowering, and effortlessly entertaining.

Today, as OTT platforms push edgier content and a new crop of actresses takes over, the industry still feels the absence of a "Preity Zinta." She was the prototype for the modern heroine who could cry on command in a red sari ( Veer-Zaara ) and then turn around and deliver a punchline with perfect comedic timing ( Chori Chori Chupke Chupke ).