Celina Jaitly

She made her acting debut with the 2003 thriller Janasheen. Her notable roles include No Entry (2005), Apna Sapna Money Money (2006), Golmaal Returns (2008), and Thank You (2011), of which the former three were box office successes.

• Name — Celina Jaitly • Born — 24 November 1981 • Birthplace — Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India • Title — Femina Miss India 2001 • Competitions — Femina Miss India 2001 (Winner) Miss Universe 2001 (4th Runner-Up) • Occupation — * Actress • model • Education — Indira Gandhi National Open University • Years Active — 2001–2020 • Children — 4 (1 deceased)

Jaitly was born in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India to a Punjabi Hindu father, Colonel Vikram Kumar Jaitly and a Christian mother, Meeta Francis who was a professor of psychology and literature. Her maternal grandfather, Colonel Eric Francis served in the Rajputana Rifles of the Indian Army. Her maternal grandmother Usha belonged to a Punjabi Christian family, and also was a second-generation Afghan-Indian through her Afghan Hindu grandmother. She wanted to grow up and join the army just like her father, either as a pilot or a doctor. Most of her childhood was spent in different locations due to her father being transferred in cities and towns all over India – as a result she ended up studying in over a dozen different schools. She attended City Montessori School, Station Road, Lucknow and Canossa Convent School, Ranikhet while her family was in respective cities. She graduated with a degree in Commerce with Accountancy (Hons.) from IGNOU (Khallikote College study centre) while her stay in Brahmapur, Odisha. Her mother taught in the DePaul School there. After graduation, Jaitly worked in a cell phone company in Kolkata, West Bengal briefly as a marketing executive. The family is now settled in Mhow.

Jaitly started her career with a marketing job in a mobile phone company in Kolkata before she decided to participate in a local beauty contest. She won the title at Femina Miss India 2001. She also won the Miss Margo Beautiful Skin, Indiatimes Surfer's Choice, and MTV's Most Wanted award. She was subsequently sent to the Miss Universe 2001 contest representing India where she finished 4th runner-up. In 2001, she featured in Jazzy B's music video of "Oh Kehri", which was immensely popular. She also featured in music videos for Bombay Vikings. In 2003, she made her film debut in Feroz Khan's Janasheen. The movie was a moderate box office success in India. For her second release, she had a starring role opposite Sunny Deol in the romantic action Khel, but the feature was poorly received and earned little at the box office. In 2004, Jaitly turned down the lead role in Julie. In an interview with Stardust, Jaitly commented: "I turned down Julie because I didn't agree with the reasoning of the protagonist in the story, who resorts to prostitution because her man ditches her. I didn't see why any educated girl would take such a drastic step. I take up roles that I mentally agree with, and this was not such a role". The same years Celina appeared in the Telugu drama Suryam opposite Vishnu Manchu.

By 2005, under the direction of Khalid Mohamed, Jaitly played the role of Preeti, an air hostess, in Silsiilay. The movie was well received by critics. Rediff.com reported that "Celina Jaitly sizzles in the song Belibaas". She next portrayed the character of Sanjana in No Entry, the film was received favourably by critics and became successful at the box office with gross earnings of. The following year, Jaitly co-starred in Deepak Tijori's comedy Tom, Dick, and Harry. The film became successful at the box office with gross earnings of. She next appeared in Apna Sapna Money Money, directed by Sangeeth. It received mixed reviews, though it became a financial success, with a domestic total of. In 2006, Jaitly appeared in the music video for the Indian hit song "Zara Nazron Se Kehdo" performed by Bombay Vikings with Swedish music producers Soundism behind the studio work. In 2007, Jaitly starred in Red: The Dark Side, directed by Vikram Bhatt, alongside Aftab Shivdasani. Her final release of 2007 was Suneel Darshan's comedy Shakalaka Boom Boom, with Bobby Deol, Upen Patel and Kangana Ranaut. Upon release it did moderately well at the box office but was critically panned. In 2008, she took a supporting role in Golmaal Returns. It received mixed reviews, though it became a financial success, with a domestic total of. Jaitly's performance was applauded, with critic Taran Adarsh writing: "Celina stays on your mind even after the show is over".

During 2009 and 2010, all three films in which she starred; Paying Guests, Accident on Hill Road and Hello Darling, were critically and commercially unsuccessful. In 2011, Jaitly had two leading roles. Her first was Anees Bazmee's Thank You, a romantic comedy. The film was poorly received by critics but became a commercial success, earning over. She next appeared in Shrimathi, a Kannada film directed by Ravi Kumar. It proved a commercial success. There were reports in 2011 that Jaitly was slated to play a Persian princess in the film Quest of Scheherezade with actors Sean Connery and Orlando Bloom, and directed by Ken Khan.

Celina Jaitly is married to Austrian entrepreneur and hotelier Peter Haag. They became parents to twin boys born in March 2012. Jaitly gave birth to a second set of twin boys in 2017, one of whom died due to a heart defect. Jaitly's brother Major (Retd.) Vikrant Jaitly, a retired Indian Army officer, was detained in the United Arab Emirates in connection with an alleged matter of national security in September 2024. This prompted Jaitly to approach the Delhi High Court resulting in the court, in November 2025, directing the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to extend legal assistance to Jaitly's brother. In November 2025, Jaitly filed a case under the Domestic Violence Act, in a Mumbai court alleging domestic violence from her husband. Jaitly has reportedly made a claim of 50 crore (5,558,920) towards the damages, 10 lakh (11,118) per month towards maintenance and custody of their children. The damages claimed are towards the loss of her income, damage to her properties and impact of the abuse which she alleged to be emotional, physical, sexual and verbal in nature.

Jaitly is a supporter of the rights and equality of the LGBTQ community and supports the gay rights movement in India. She has also been involved in activities concerning human rights and women's rights. Jaitly was a proponent of the abolition of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized homosexuality in India until the 2018 ruling of the Supreme Court of India. In 2014, Jaitly made her singing debut in a music video on gay rights. The video titled "The Welcome" was launched by the UN in April 2014 as a campaign against homophobia.

• Illustration — Jaitly in 2008 In the Times Most Desirable Women list, Jaitly was placed 18th in 2009 and 48th in 2010. Jaitly has been a celebrity endorser for several brands such as Sepang Circuit Malaysia 2002, Ayur (ayurvedic hair shampoos) 2002–2004, Ponds (Dreamflower talc) 2001–2004, Margo (skin soap) 2001–2003, Gitanjali (diamond jewels) 2003–present, Jashn (Leading Indian apparels) 2006–present, Proactv (International skin solutions) 2008–present, RICHFEEL (trichology clinics) 2012–present, 18 Again (women's intimate care) 2012–present, PETA 2005–present, United Nations Equality Champions 2013–present.