Apr 29, 2025 01:56 PM IST
Preity Zinta may be living abroad, but honouring her roots has never been a secondary priority — a sentiment she is wholeheartedly passing on to her twins
During a quick chat with her fans on X, amid the bustling IPL season, Preity Zinta ended up candidly revealing how though she is married to an American and is living in the United States (when she is not travelling back to India for work), her kids are very much being raised as Hindu. So how did Preity and hubby Gene Goodenough reach the amicable decision? Well, the fact that Gene is agnostic, must have made it much simpler.
An excerpt from her response read,”…After becoming a mom & living in a foreign country I wanna make sure my kids don’t forgot they are half Indian. Since my husband is agnostic we are bringing up our kids as Hindus. Sadly, I am facing constant criticism & this simple joy is being taken away by my choice being politicized all the time. I feel I need to keep answering for being who I am or having pride in teaching my kids about their roots & religion 🕉️❤️…”.
This response actually came up during a back and forth with a fan who was speculating if Preity’s movements and social media presence over the past few months, could possibly indicate her venturing into politics, that too from the Bharatiya Janata Party. The actor had quite the curt response to the speculation, asserting how she was very much free to appreciate the culture of her country without the same being politicised. Her response read, “That’s the problem with people on social media, everybody has become so judgemental off late. As I said earlier, going to a temple / Maha Kumbh and being proud of who I am & my identity does not equate with me joining politics or for that reason BJP. Living outside India has made me realise the true value of my home country & like everyone else I do appreciate India & all things Indian much more now ❤️”.
The fan however, quickly clarified that their question was more out of curiosity than provocation, which is what then prompted Preity to respond much more candidly.
Circling back to Preity’s kids, the couple welcomed their twins — a boy, Jai and a girl, Gia — via surrogacy in 2021. This was 5 years after Preity and Gene, Senior Vice-president for Finance at a US-based hydroelectric power company, tied the knot on February 29, 2016, in a private Los Angeles ceremony. Following the wedding, the actor moved to the States which is also where she is raising her kids.
Her association with India though, remains constant, as she keeps shuttling back and forth for her professional commitments, the most bourgeoning of which is the currently ongoing season of IPL in which she is a co-owner of the Punjab Kings team.
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