Preeti Panigrahi
Preeti Panigrahi is an Indian actress known for the 2024 film Girls Will Be Girls. Born in 2002, she grew up in India and studied at Hindu College, Delhi University, where she was active in theatre. She is pursuing animation studies at SRFTI.
She won the Special Jury Award for Acting at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival for playing Mira, a high school student navigating adolescence and social expectations. Panigrahi landed the lead role after replying to an open casting in 2022 that asked for a video showing a high school persona. Drawing on her experience as head girl, she prepared for the part through workshops with casting director Dilip Shankar.
At Sundance, Girls Will Be Girls also won an audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Critics praised Panigrahi’s performance, with Anupama Chopra calling her a standout find of the year and noting how she conveys Mira’s emotions without overacting.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:31 (CET).