It's always easy to say that a leading lady's peak time in the film industry is a thing of the past and she is past her prime.

We have heard this being said about extremely talented actors and actresses several times before and the reasons why this is said by the media is just because of a notion that if a particular performer does not appear in a couple of big budgeted fully commercial flicks in a year, it means that he or she is slowly fading away.

The same was said about Preity Zinta too.

It is true that she has lately become extremely choosy about her roles and has been appearing in more off beat films having plum roles with a great scope for showcasing skills than out and out commercial films.

And her moment of ultimate triumph has come to silence the detractors once and for all.

Preity Zinta has won the best actress award at the prestigious 44^th Chicago International Film Festival.

Her role as the Punjabi wife in film maker Deepa Mehta's film 'Heaven On Earth' fetched her the Silver Hugo Award for the Best Actress.

Preity portrays the character of a Punjabi wife who while living in Toronto tries hard to keep her dreams alive in spite of being treated in a very bad and cruel manner by her husband.

It was not a cakewalk for the actress to give life to the challenging role.

She even attended Anupam Kher's acting school- Actor Prepares to learn how to pronounce the Punjabi words properly.

First noted for her beauty in the numerous advertisements, then starting her Tinsel Town journey as Bobby Deol's heroine in 'Soldier' to now being considered as one of the most talented actors in India, you have come a long way, Preity.