Preeti Chowdhury and Alex Skuby in "Finding Preet"

While in her early 30s, Priti Chowdhury went through a divorce from a blond, blue-eyed, all-American boy, whom she had married against the wishes of traditional Indian parents.

Those experiences and more will come to life on the big screen when the Chicago pediatric anesthesiologist releases �Finding Preet� into movie theaters and the film festival circuit sometime this year.

How did the film take shape? �Well, medical school can be mentally stimulating but after doing my residency, I felt the need for a creative outlet,� replies Chowdhury. She signed up for creative writing classes. Soon, she began working on a script.

�The movie is based on my own personal experience as well as those of my friends,� says Chowdhury, also the owner of a restaurant La Mora in Chicago. The 37-year-old invested her own money, at least $250,000, to make the nearly 90-minute long film in a month.

Shot mostly in Chicago�s Roscoe village, the site of La Mora, the light-hearted romantic comedy has been directed by Adrian Fulle and stars Alex Skuby in the lead with Chowdhury�s real-life parents, Laxmi Shankar Chowdhury and Kanti.

	Husband-wife Lakmi Shankar Chowdhury and Kanti Chowdhury in "Finding Preet"

Chicago magazine�s �hottest single� admits that after 35 years of age, anxiety creeps into the lives of single women. �This is a very personal story but one that occurs more and more these days,� Chowdhury points out. �With women being motivated to excel professionally, they sometimes let their personal goals fall to the way side only to panic when they realize they aren�t getting any younger.�

She does believe that soul mates exist. �Romanticism shouldn�t be lost, no matter what your age,� she says.

The east-meets-west story of �Finding Preet� does have a happy ending. �This part is fiction,� says Chowdhury, for it is �preet� that still eludes her. �But making this film has enabled me to relate in a more personal way. I have gained emotional growth from this experience, which I feel has made me a better physician.�

However, will Priti Chowdhury find the �preet� of her choice some day? Only time will tell.
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