Katrina Kaif
| Katrina Kaif | |
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Kaif at Dabboo Ratnani's calendar shoot, 2013
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| Born | Katrina Turquotte / Turcotte 16 July 1983 [a] British Hong Kong |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Kashmiri, English |
| Occupation | Actress, model |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Relatives | Isabel Kaif (sister) |
Katrina Kaif (pronounced [kəˈʈriːnaː ˈkɛːf], born Katrina Turquotte—also spelt Turcotte—16 July 1983) is a British-Indian film actress and model. Primarily known for her work in Bollywood films, Kaif has also appeared inTelugu and Malayalam films. In addition to being one of Bollywood's highest-paid actresses, she is known as one of India's most attractive celebrities by the media.
Born in Hong Kong, Kaif and her family lived in several countries before she moved to India. She received her first modelling assignment as a teenager and later pursued a career as a fashion model. During a London show filmmakerKaizad Gustad cast her in Boom (2003), a critical and commercial failure. While filming in India, Kaif received modelling assignments and established a successful modelling career. However, filmmakers were hesitant to cast her due to her poor command of Hindi. After appearing in the successful Telugu film Malliswari (2004), Kaif earned commercial success in Bollywood with the romantic comedies Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005) and Namastey London(2007). She followed with a series of box-office hits, but was criticised for her acting, repetitive roles and inclination to male-dominated films.
Kaif's performance in the 2009 terrorism drama New York was better received, earning her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination. After roles in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009), Raajneeti (2010) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), she received her second Filmfare nomination for her performance in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011). She featured in the thrillers Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Dhoom 3 (2013), both of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics for her acting prowess, she has established herself as a commercially successful actress of Hindi cinema.
In addition to acting, she is involved with her mother's charity and participates in stage shows. Kaif is guarded about her personal life, which is a subject of media scrutiny. Her background has also been a topic of discussion, with some sources accusing her of fabricating her history.
Early life and background
Katrina Kaif was born in Hong Kong with her mother's surname Turquotte (also spelt Turcotte), on 16 July 1983.[a][6][7][8] According to the actress, her father (Mohammed Kaif) is a British businessman ofKashmiri descent and her mother (Suzanne, also spelt Susanna) is anEnglish lawyer and charity worker.[8][9][10][11] She has seven siblings: three older sisters (Stephanie, Christine and Natasha), three younger sisters (Melissa, Sonia and Isabel) and an older brother, Michael;[9][11]Isabel is also a model and actress.[12] Kaif's parents divorced when she was very young, and her father moved to the United States. She said her father had no influence on Kaif or her siblings while they were growing up, and they were raised by their mother.[8][11][13] On her father's absence in her life, Kaif stated: "When I see friends who have wonderful fathers who are like pillars of support for their families, I say, if only I had that. But instead of complaining, I should be grateful for all the other things I have." In a 2009 interview with The Indian Express, she said she was not in touch with her father.[11]
Kaif's mother decided to "dedicate her life to social causes", which led to the family's relocation to a number of countries for varying lengths of time. After her birth in Hong Kong, Kaif and her family moved to China and then to Japan. From there she went to France at age eight, living for several months at a time in Switzerland, Poland, Belgium and elsewhere in Europe. Kaif then moved with her family to Hawaii and eventually to her mothers home country, England.[13] Due to their frequent relocations, Kaif and her siblings were home-schooled by a series of tutors.[14] Although she is thought to have grown up in London, she lived there for only three years before moving to India.[13] According to Kaif, she then changed her surname to her father's because she thought it would be easier to pronounce.[15]
Her background is thought to be mysterious, with several sources questioning her claim that her father is Kashmiri.[8] In a 2011 interview with Mumbai Mirror, Boom producer Ayesha Shroff accused Kaif of fabricating her history: "We created an identity for her. She was this pretty young English girl, and we gave her the Kashmiri father and thought of calling her Katrina Kazi. We thought we'd give her some kind of Indian ancestry, to connect with the audience ... But then we thought that Kazi sounded too ... religious? ... Mohammad Kaif was at the top, and so we said, Katrina Kaif sounds really great."[10]Kaif called Shroff's comments "hurtful."[8]
Career
Modelling and film debut (to 2003)
Kaif first expressed an interest in modelling as a teenager when she won a beauty contest in Hawaii, and received her first assignment for a jewellery campaign.[16] She began to model professionally in London, working for several freelance agencies and appearing regularly at London Fashion Week.[8] At a fashion show Kaif attracted the attention of London-based filmmaker Kaizad Gustad. He selected her for a role in the English-Hindi erotic heist film Boom as part of an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Gulshan Grover, Jackie Shroff, Madhu Sapre and Padma Lakshmi.[17][18] While filming in India, Kaif received other offers and decided to stay in the country.[19] In 2003, she received notice as a model after walking the ramp for Rohit Bal at the India Fashion Week[20] and appeared in the first Kingfisher Calendar.[21] Kaif soon established a successful modelling career in India after endorsing brands such as Coca-Cola, LG, Fevicol and Samsung.[22]
Kaif's successful career as a model led to anticipation surrounding her Bollywood debut.[18] Boom (2003) had its first screening at the Cannes Film Festival, and was heavily promoted at the event.[23][24] However, ten days before the film's release pirated VCDs of the film's uncut version were reportedly appearing on the black market.[25][26] Boom was a commercial and critical failure.[27][28] Kaif's enactment of a supermodel ensnared in the Mumbai underworld was poorly received, with Ziya U. Salam of The Hindu attributing the weak performances of the film's leading ladies to "the vacuity of their expressions."[29] Hindustan Times reported that after Boom 's release, Kaif was written off due to her poor Hindi and thick British accent.[30] She later dismissed the film: "I don't count Boom among important happenings in my life. When I signed this film, I didn't know much about India and its film audience."[31] Although Kaif was offered a number of modelling assignments,[31] filmmakers were hesitant to cast her because of her poor command of Hindi.[32] In one instance, Mahesh Bhatt replaced her with Tara Sharma in Saaya (2003) as he found her an "inconsistent performer."[33] Subsequently, Kaif began working on her diction through Hindi classes.[31]
Breakthrough and early success (2004–06)
After the failure of her first Bollywood project, Kaif appeared in the Telugu film Malliswari (2004). With Daggubati Venkatesh, she played the title role of a princess forced to flee from her murderous caretaker. Kaif received a reported 
7.5 million(US$120,000) for the film, the highest salary for a South Indian film actress at the time. Despite negative reviews for her acting, Malliswari was a profitable venture.[34][35]
The following year, Kaif appeared briefly as Abhishek Bachchan's girlfriend in Ram Gopal Varma's political thriller Sarkar.[36]She next featured alongside Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen and Sohail Khan in Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya?, a film she considered her "first real step into Bollywood."[37] Directed by David Dhawan, the film was a successful remake of the romantic comedy Cactus Flower.[38][39] For her role as a suicidal model, Kaif received the Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance – Female.[40] According to Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com, "Katrina's Disney princess-like charm adds to her adorable screen presence."[41] Kaif followed with a small part in her second Telugu film, Allari Pidugu.[42]
In 2006, she appeared with Akshay Kumar for the first of many films in Raj Kanwar's unsuccessful Humko Deewana Kar Gaye,[43] a story of two strangers who fall in love despite being engaged to others. According to Sify, "Katrina is passably competent in a tailor-made role, giving a mild emotional spin to a couple of scenes" but was overshadowed by her supporting actresses.[44] Kaif also appeared with Mammootty in the successful Malayalam crime thriller Balram vs. Tharadas,[45] in which Rishi Raj Singh of The Hindu called her performance "marvellous".[46]
Commercial success (2007–08)
Kaif's career prospects changed in 2007, when she appeared in four Bollywood hits.[47] In an interview with The Indian Express, she called Vipul Amrutlal Shah's romantic comedy Namastey London a milestone, saying that "for the first time, [she] had a dominating role."[11] Kaif used her life in London as a reference for her role as a spoilt British Indian girl intent on marrying her self-centred British boyfriend, despite her parents' disapproval.[48] Although critical reception was mixed,[49] her performance was praised.[47] Sukanya Verma wrote that she "suits the role to the T" and "brings the zingy mix of her character alive with style and substance."[50] Kaif's chemistry with co-star Akshay Kumar was particularly well received, withNikhat Kazmi of The Times of India calling their casting "refreshing."[51]
She had a supporting role as a doctor in the sports drama Apne. The film was highly anticipated as it marked the first appearance of Dharmendra with his sons,Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol.[53] After Apne she rejoined director David Dhawan and Salman Khan for the comedy Partner, a remake of Hitch which also starredGovinda and Lara Dutta.[54] With a worldwide revenue of 1.03 billion(US$16 million), the film was a major financial success.[55][56] Kaif's final film of the year was Anees Bazmee's comedy Welcome, alongside Akshay Kumar, Nana Patekar, Mallika Sherawat and Anil Kapoor. Although the film generated mostly negative reviews, it proved to be the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2007.[47][55] Despite her box-office success, the similarity of Kaif's roles was noted by Shoma Chaudhury of Tehelka, who called her "unabashed eye-candy", adding that she was "a pretty prop in Welcome" and "more of the same in Partnerand Apne."[14]
In 2008, the actress had three releases, the first of which was Abbas-Mustan's action thriller Race, a story about two stepbrothers-turned-rivals who are in contention for their father's insurance money. Kaif played Saif Ali Khan's secretary, who is his stepbrother's (Akshaye Khanna) lover. Although Race continued Kaif's string of successes,[57] Nikhat Kazmi found her "too pale" in her role. Kazmi was more appreciative of the film, praising its "super cool look [and] testosterone-high action sequences."[58] After Race, Kaif rejoined Akshay Kumar in Anees Bazmee's action comedy Singh Is Kinng. The film earned 1.25 billion (US$20 million) worldwide, making it Kaif's sixth consecutive box-office success.[30][56][57] However, she received mixed reviews for her performance.[47] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN reviewed: "Katrina Kaif is an eyesore ... her acting so weak you want to urge her to watch everyone from Madhubala to Madhuri so she might pick up a few tricks."[59]
Kaif's final film of the year—Subhash Ghai's drama Yuvvraaj—was a major box-office failure.[57] In preparation for her role as a cellist she practised her playing with orchestra members.[60] Her portrayal of a girl forbidden by her father from marrying her poor lover was well received by Sify's Sonia Chopra: "Katrina is wonderful, plays the cello convincingly, and looks ethereal."[61] Despite the film's mixed critical reception, its screenplay was added to the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for its artistic merit.[62][63]
Except for Boom, Namastey London and Singh is Kingg, Kaif's voice was dubbed over by voice artists in her early films because of her lack of fluency in Hindi and other Indian languages.[64][65] Although she appeared in a series of successful films, critics noted that she had little to do in them as they were generally male-dominated.[30][66] Her performances were also largely criticised.[67][68] About her series of glamorous roles, Kaif said that her "first few films were really a process of learning ... There was no target."[8]
New York and other roles (2009–11)
After a string of films in which she was cast to add glamour, Kaif's role in Kabir Khan's terrorism drama New York (2009) brought recognition of her acting ability.[69] Featuring John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh in lead roles, the film tells the story of how three friends' lives are changed when one is wrongly detained after 9/11. Kaif played Maya, a college student who later marries a terrorist. The actress said that she identified with Maya, since she experienced similar isolation because of her skin colour when she was growing up in London.[70] Kaif also remarked that she was tired of "arm candy" roles and was looking for more substantial parts.[71] New York did well at the box office and received favourable reviews.[72][73]According to Subhash K. Jha, Kaif "comes into her own as an actress of substance ... From the carefree effervescent campus girl to the anguished wife, Katrina makes the journey look plausible all the way."[74] New York brought Kaif her firstFilmfare Award nomination for Best Actress.[75] She then appeared in a cameo for India's first underwater thriller Blue.[76]
Kaif starred with Ranbir Kapoor in Rajkumar Santoshi's hit comedy, Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009), as an orphan forced to marry a rich man.[77] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote, "Katrina Kaif continues to surprise ... She scores in both emotional and light scenes" and called her chemistry with Kapoor "electrifying."[78] Her final film of the year wasPriyadarshan's comedy De Dana Dan.[71]
In 2010, Kaif appeared in Prakash Jha's political thriller Raajneeti as part of an ensemble cast which included Ranbir Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai and Sarah Thompson. The film took inspiration from The Mahabharata and Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather.[79] Set in Bhopal, the film described a fiercely-fought
