Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif is a model-turned-actress of British-Indian origin. She is one of the leading stars of Bollywood for more than 10 years now. Katrina Kaif was born to British citizen Susanne Turquotte and a Kashmiri businessman Mohammad Kaif on 16 July, 1983, in Hong Kong. Katrina has seven siblings i.e. six sisters and one elder brother. Though her father and mother had divorced while she was still a baby and Katrina grew up using her mother's name Turquotte, she changed it to Kaif when she debuted in the Indian film industry with the film Boom, believing the surname would be easier to recall. Katrina's mother, a lawyer-turned-social worker continued to travel across various countries on assignment. As a result, Katrina and her siblings were home schooled. The family finally settled in London and Katrina started doing modeling assignments. It was during modeling that she was noticed by the London-based filmmaker Kaizad Gustad who offered to cast her in his English Hindi erotic heist movie Boom. The movie gained a lot of media attention due to its ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Gulshan Grover, Jackie Shroff, Padma Laxmi and Madhu Sapre. Boom became Katrina Kaif's debut in 2003 and though it was a commercial and critical failure, the movie brought a fair amount of modeling assignments to Katrina. She then decided to settle in India and started walking the ramp for fashion big wigs like designer Rohit Bal at the Lakme Fashion Week.

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But the failure of Boom had a reverse effect on her career aspirations. She had signed a couple of films but they were recast due to her inconsistencies and more so because of her diction. Katrina decided to work on her Hindi diction and skills. She was next seen in a Telugu film Malliswari in the year 2004 opposite Daggubati Venkatesh. She was reported to have been paid a whopping amount of 7.5 million (US$110,000) for the film which was also the highest salary for a South Indian film actress at the time. Though she was not appreciated for the role, the movie was a hit. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif spend quality time together in between promotions of their respective films – view pics!

Katrina was then seen opposite Abhishek Bachchan in a cameo in Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar. The movie was a superhit and Katrina's brief role got her renewed attention. She also then became famous as the love interest of Salman Khan and was next seen in a Sohail Khan's Maine Pyaar Kyun Kia in a supporting role. The movie also featured her rumoured beau Salman Khan as well as beauty queen Sushmita Sen. The movie showcased Katrina as a suicidal model in love with a doctor played by Salman Khan. She was applauded for her performance and people stood up to take notice of her beauty.

Fans went on to suggest that Katrina had a Disney princess like beauty. Katrina was next seen in 2006 opposite Akshay Kumar in Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. The movie was a moderate success but she was only considered passable in her portrayal of the female protagonist. Her career prospects, however, were about to change drastically. People had already appreciated her on screen chemistry with Akshay Kumar and the next movie opposite the same lead was Namastey London in 2007. She played the role of an Indian-born desi raised in London. Rishi Kapoor, her father in the film, forces her to marry Akshay Kumar, a typical Indian Punjabi farmer. The role was apt for Katrina's accent woes and it was a big hit. The movie went to do good business and Katrina was lauded for her portrayal of a spoilt British-Indian girl.

Katrina was next seen opposite Bobby Deol in the movie Apne which featured the father Dharmendra and his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol. The family drama had mixed reactions. Katrina again rose to prominence in the remake of the Hollywood hit Hitch in which she played the role of the millionaire heiress opposite Govinda. The movie was a grand success. She was however still not considered for strong lead roles. In 2008 Katrina acted opposite Akhsya Khanna in Abbas Mastans thriller Race. She was seen in a grey character and was lauded for her acting skills. After the success of the movie, Katrina was again paired opposite Akshay Kumar in Anees Bazmees Singh is King in 2008. The movie went on to be a high grosser, making it Katrinas sixth consecutive hit. Critics were however not keen on warming up to Katrina. Her acting was constantly ridiculed.

Things did not help when her next movie in the year Yuvvraj opposite Salman Khan flopped at the box office. Katrina was acknowledged for her performance in New York opposite John Abrahim. The movie was a drama based on the terrorism and the ill effects of the 9/11 attack. She was even nominated for her role in the Filmfare. Katrina started to gain attention of the critics after 2009. Her performance opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani got her favourable reviews. She was lauded for her role of a politician in the political drama Rajneeti which again saw her opposite Ranbir Kapoor and then Arjum Rampal. The movie gained a lot of attention and did good business. Katrina was later in news for her performance in Tees Maar Khan, paired opposite Akshay Kumar for the sixth time. The movies item number Sheila ki Jawani was a super hit and Katrina was compared to another hit of the time Munni Badnam hui fame Malaika Arora Khan.

The dainty lass became a heartthrob overnight with her belly dancing and became a household name. By this time Katrina was established as a leading Bollywood actress. She was also seen in movies like Mere Brother ki Dulhan, Ek Tha Tiger, Jab Tak Hain Jaan and Bang Bang which faired rather well at the box office. The actress has had a slew of box office failures lately including Fittoor opposite Aditya Roy Kapoor, and a recent one Baar Baar Dekho opposite Siddharth Malhotra of Student of the Year fame.

In July 2017, Katrina Kaif was seen in Jagga Jasoos opposite Ranbir Kapoor. She will next be seen in Tiger Zinda Hain opposite Salman Khan. Both the movies have generated a strong interest in the audience as the former is with her rumoured current boyfriend and the latter is with her rumored ex-boyfriend. Katrina Kaif will also be seen in Thugs of Hindostan featuring Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Fatima Sana Shaikh in the lead. Shah Rukh Khan has also cast Katrina in his new film.

Off screen, Katrina is actively involved in charitable auctions. As a British citizen, she works in India on a work visa and continues to create ripples in the Bolywood. She is also the brand ambassador for brands like L'Oreal, Lakme, Panasonic and Nakshatra. Katrina Kaif was also voted as the Sexiest Asian Woman by Eastern Eye, Most Desirable Woman by The Times of India and the People magazine's Indian edition in 2011. Her popularity inspired two sets of Barbie Dolls which were released by Mattel in 2010 and 2011 respectively. In 2015 a wax model of the actress was also installed in Madame Tussauds in London.